- Among Asian elephants, only a fraction of males bear tusks, and Sri Lanka holds the lowest percentage, with just 7% of its total elephant population being tuskers.
- Tuskers are culturally significant and attract tourists to Sri Lanka, with each wild tusker named after an ancient king.
- However, one by one, these iconic giants are falling victim not only to unmitigated human-elephant conflict, but also to opportunistic, targeted poaching.
- A study has estimated the value of a single elephant in Minneriya to be around 10 million Sri Lankan rupees ($40,000), based on the revenue generated through nature-based tourism, while rare tuskers are valued at a much higher rate.
Minneriya, SRI LANKA — With a single tusk that made him stand out, the majestic bull elephant Unicorn was a true king among the wild herds of Minneriya, a biodiversity hotspot in the island’s north-central region, globally known as the home of the world’s largest gathering of elephants.
At dusk, Unicorn would often be seen alongside female elephants — a breathtaking sight that left an indelible impression on the visitors. But this spectacle has now come to a tragic end after Unicorn was shot and his carcass was found by wildlife officials on March 17.
Furthermore, another young elephant named Koliya, who had roamed freely in the same national park, also succumbed to gunshot wounds. His decomposed body was found in December 2024.
“Koliya was the first tusker I ever photographed, and I was fascinated by his behavior. I thought I would see him grow into a magnificent giant. It’s heartbreaking to know he is no more,” says Sajeni Pandithage, a wildlife photographer.
Koliya was often seen alongside another majestic bull, Sumedha, a long-tusked elephant well known in the Minneriya area. Recently, Sumedha suffered a tragic road accident, breaking one of his tusks from the base following a bizarre collision with a lorry.
On that fateful day, Sumedha had wandered near a garbage dump and was returning to the forest when a speeding lorry struck him. His long tusk, estimated to be about 1.5 meters (5 feet) long, was left lying on the tarred road. “It was one of the largest tusks I have ever seen,” recalls Hasintha Sooriyaarachchi, who photographed the broken ivory.
Following the accident, officials from the Department of Wildlife Conservation attempted to track Sumedha to assess his condition. However, the search proved futile, as officers had to go on foot into the dense forest. Volunteers, together with army and air force personnel, joined the mission to locate the injured tusker.
“We are yet to make a confirmed sighting of Sumedha, but we remain hopeful that he has survived and continues to roam free,” says Sameera Weerathunga, an elephant researcher who volunteered in the search operation.
“We set up camera traps along elephant trails, but while we captured footage of other elephants, there has been no sign of these iconic tuskers,” Weerathunga says. “We all pray for Sumedha’s survival,” Weerathunge adds, full of praise for the teams on the ground, tracing Sumedha’s footprints despite the apparent risk of treading in elephant country.
Sumedha’s broken tusk. Image courtesy of Hasintha Sooriyaarachchi.
Disappearing giants of Minneriya
Minneriya is home to the world-renowned “Gathering,” where hundreds of elephants congregate on the dry lakebed from June to August. Tuskers are the main attraction of this spectacular event. However, with three of the region’s most iconic tuskers now either dead or injured, the future of Minneriya’s giants looks grim.
“The big tuskers of Sri Lanka are falling like dominoes,” says veteran wildlife photographer Namal Kamalgoda. “We may be the last generation to witness these magnificent creatures in the wild.” He notes that in recent years, several other iconic tuskers have met the same fate.
Rajiv Welikala, another wildlife photographer with a special interest in tuskers, is saddened by their increasing deaths. As someone working in the tourism industry, he emphasizes that many of his clients are particularly eager to see these majestic giants.
In 2020, Welikala contributed a rare photo essay of tuskers to Mongabay. Sadly, half of these tuskers are no more, Welikala says. One met a natural death, but others were killed due to different causes ranging from gunshots to electrocutions, Welikala tells Mongabay.
Srilal Miththapala, a wildlife tourism expert, conducted a study in 2018 that estimated the economic value of an elephant in Minneriya at around 10 million rupees (more than $40,000 at the time). “The value of a tusker is even higher, both economically and genetically,” Miththapala notes.
Conservation flagship in crisis
Beyond their economic and cultural significance, tuskers play a vital role in conservation efforts. “From a conservation perspective, a tusker is simply another male elephant, but they serve as powerful symbols — flagships for conservation,” says elephant biologist Prithiviraj Fernando of the Centre for Conservation and Research Sri Lanka.
Less than 7% of male elephants in Sri Lanka have tusks, compared with 45% in North India and nearly 95% in South India, according to Fernando. Tuskers have long been revered in Sri Lankan culture, with many temples even importing them from the mainland. But why does Sri Lanka have so few tuskers?
Some believe it to be a genetic anomaly, while others argue that human interference is to blame.
Historical records indicate that for centuries, tuskers were captured from the wild, removing them from the gene pool. This, Fernando suggests, has led to artificial selection for tuskless males, a tragic consequence of human fascination with these magnificent creatures.
“In essence, we have loved Sri Lanka’s tuskers to death,” Fernando concludes.
Today we seem to be rapidly going back on elephant conservation and human-elephant conflict mitigation with the new administration adopting a strategy of reverting to the failed approach of elephant drives and confining elephants to protected areas, Fernando tells Mongabay.
As the nation mourns the loss of Unicorn and worries for Sumedha’s survival, urgent conservation action is necessary to protect the last of Sri Lanka’s great tuskers before they disappear forever, Sri Lankan environmentalists say.
Banner image: With a single tusk that made him stand out, the rare and majestic bull elephant Unicorn used to freely roam the wilds of Minneriya in Sri Lanka’s North Central province. Wildlife officials found the iconic elephant’s bullet-ridden body on March 17. Image courtesy of Namal Kamalgoda.