Ari - The living legend of Udawalawe

I am quite popular as I frequently cross the electric fence at Pokunuthanna and featured on the cover page of "Gaja", the scientific journal of the Asian Elephant Specialist's Group, too.

I mostly live at Pokunuthanna area, which is the northern Part of the Udawalawe National Park. I don’t know my exact age, but I’ve wandered these lands for at least 50 to 60 years. This is the only home I’ve ever known. However, an electric fence was build deviding my home land around 2008 and forced me to stay part of my homerage which I can't afford to do as I spend more than half my day in forests beyond the fence to find food, water, and other resources I needed to survive. I still don’t understand why a fence was built across my home and creates a conflict with us!!!

Over time—through trial and error—I learned how to push down the electric wires with my forefeet so I can return to my usual paths. Now I exit the park quite early, between 6:00-7:00 pm and return at dawn to avoid conflict with people. But I often wonder… why can’t the fence be placed in a way that doesn’t block where I’ve roamed all my life? Then I wouldn’t have to break it, and I could move safely through my home without causing trouble for anyone.

It is straightforward to find where I live as I always use the same footpath and leave dong and footprints on the ground, making it easier for everyone to see my presence. So could you talk to your kind on my behalf and agree not to put fences across my homeland and create conflict with me, please !!!

Here is the link if you want to know more about me and my other fellows: https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/13929/

Ranjeewa, A. D., Tharanga, Y. J. S., Sandanayake, G. H. N. A., Perera, B. V., & Fernando, P. (2015). Camera traps unveil enigmatic crop raiders in Udawalawe, Sri Lanka. Gajah, 42, 7-14.