Thailand’s wild elephant population surges: Human conflict concern
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) released a report estimating Thailand’s wild elephant population to be between 4,013 and 4,422. These elephants are dispersed across 91 forests. The report highlights increasing conflicts between wild elephants and communities, particularly severe in the eastern forests, with an annual population growth rate of 8.2%, affecting 257 villages across six provinces.
Historically, Thailand has been assessing its wild elephant population. In 1977, Doctor Boonsong Lekagul estimated the number to be between 2,600 and 4,450. By 1989, Mahidol University’s Wildlife Data Centre estimated around 1,797 elephants within protected areas. In 1991, approximately 1,975 elephants were reported in 47 protected areas, and by 2000, the number was believed to be around 2,384 in 63 protected areas.
In 2003, a survey recorded between 3,000 and 3,500 elephants across 68 protected areas, including 38 national parks and 30 wildlife sanctuaries. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in 2019 reported a wild elephant population of 3,126 to 3,341.
The latest official estimate for last year indicates 4,013 to 4,422 elephants living naturally in 91 conservation areas, including wildlife sanctuaries, non-hunting zones, national parks, and forest parks. Over the past 40 years, the wild elephant population in Thailand has been on the rise.
However, the increasing elephant population has led to heightened conflicts with human communities throughout the country, most intensely in the eastern forest regions. The primary causes of these conflicts are believed to be the rising elephant population and a scarcity of food sources within protected areas.
The eastern forest group, in particular, has seen an annual elephant population growth of approximately 8.2%, impacting over 257 villages, 52 subdistricts, 20 districts, and six provinces in East Thailand, reported KhaoSod.
Phu Kradeung National Park in Loei province opened its gates to the public on December 23 last year following a period of closure after a tourist was fatally attacked by an elephant.
DNP Director General Atthaphon Charoenchansa, explained that the decision to reopen comes after careful planning of safety protocols aimed at protecting visitors from potential wildlife threats. To facilitate this, visitors will be required to register and join a LINE chat application room.
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