Wildlife Conservation Experiences

Keiran Emkjer
United States of America
January 28th 2017

I just finished my first week of volunteering with the Wild Elephant Project! So far the experience has been amazing. When I first arrived, I was greeted by a beautiful view and a house filled with amazing volunteers. It is always nice when you can connect with people right away and have a welcoming experience. The girls I met shared the same passions as me for wild animals and helping to preserve their rights to roam the lands that are being diminished by a population increase.

I, however, was very curious as to what I was actually going to do out here. When I signed up for the project all I really knew was that I would be having day to day interactions with them in the jungle. When Monday started, we were sent to analyze the poop of elephants to see what they were eating. At first it sounded like a weird job, but it actually was very cool! The reason for this was to see if the animals were digesting anything other than grass or bark from trees. I found out that elephants have added processed foods to their diets and have become addicted to consuming them.

Farms growing fruits and rice are slowly encroaching into the forest where elephants have got used to eating them. Not only do they eat the produce, but they are also ingesting plastic that they think is food from the rural developments. I found this to be really sad because an elephant that is swallowing plastic is destined to not be healthy. I learned that since they have become dependent on these man-made products, the elephants can smell and find them. They are unfortunately mixed in with human conflict because they destroy farms and tear down houses to obtain these products.

Once I gained knowledge of this information, I had no problems picking up the poop and examining it. My heart goes out to the elephants in many ways because humans are resulting in violent acts such as gun traps in the bushes to keep them out. Our purpose of being here is bigger than just finding out what they eat, but to make sure that they aren’t being harmed in the process.

The SLWCS has also set up remote cameras throughout the jungle to see what wildlife is out there and how we have to acknowledge their presence and need to protect them. Even though it rained a lot this week, we still were able to check and replace cameras. I loved this because once you watch the footage, you are shocked by how many leopards, elephants, and other wild animals are out there.

This week has been super successful and gained my full attention for the weeks to come. Hopefully there will be sunshine to come like how it is shining as I write this paper. If this happens, we will fix the electric fences that are meant to keep elephants from entering farms in a safe manner. Not only this, but we will also work with local farmers to make sure they use harm-free tactics like fire crackers to keep elephants off their developments. I was only supposed to be here for three weeks, but after learning about the difference we can make, I have extended my trip to five weeks! I love this place and the work we are doing out here can save elephants lives. I am super excited about the times to come.

Photo credits:
S.P.E.C.I.E.S/Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society Carnivore Project
Chinthaka Weerasinghe/Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society
Chandima Fernando/Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society
Ravi Corea/Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society

Big, rumbling thanks to our Corporate Partners for their kind support and to everyone who had donated and supported our elephant conservation efforts!