“In Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, wildlife enthusiasts often describe the magnificent elephant, Agbo, as a ‘king without a crown.’ Named after a monarch from an ancient human kingdom that once shared territory with Agbo’s habitat in north-central Sri Lanka, Agbo is one of the largest tuskers in the region. Despite his dominance in the wilderness, Agbo faced a tragic event when he became ensnared in a hunter’s trap one day.”
“Agbo’s left front leg bore the brunt of several metal pellets, rendering movement difficult for the majestic beast. Once renowned for its graceful strides, Agbo now struggled with painful, awkward movements, hopping forward in agony. Concerned villagers in Thirappane, where Agbo was shot, alerted the local office of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). Responding swiftly, a team was dispatched to tend to the injured tusker.
Upon arrival, the wildlife team sedated Agbo to conduct a thorough examination. The severity of the wounds became apparent upon closer inspection. “The metal pellets have deeply penetrated Agbo’s front left leg, severely limiting mobility and causing significant swelling and signs of infection,” stated Tharaka Prasad, the chief veterinary surgeon of the DWC, who oversaw Agbo’s treatment.”
The veterinarians began by cleaning Agbo’s wound and administering powerful antibiotics to halt the spread of infection. However, approaching Agbo proved challenging, as he charged at those who came near. Eventually, a dart gun was utilized to deliver both sedatives and medication. Despite his injured leg limiting movement, wildlife officers had nerve-wracking encounters with the pained tusker.
To evaluate the extent of Agbo’s injury, veterinarians brought a scanner to the field for an X-ray of his leg. “The trap gun bullets caused damage to the elephant’s wrist joint,” explained Tharaka to Mongabay. Initially, the wildlife team set up camp nearby and made regular visits to administer treatment.
News of Agbo’s plight quickly spread through national and social media channels. Even villagers residing in remote areas, who often bear the brunt of elephant encounters, were deeply moved by Agbo’s suffering. They voluntarily brought fruits and vegetables as sustenance for the beast. Wildlife enthusiasts also pitched in with donations to aid in Agbo’s recovery.
Many months of treatment
After more than four months of treatment, Agbo started to show signs of recovery. Tharaka told Mongabay that the injury has left its mark: Agbo will never again have his majestic gait and may even end up with a permanent limp due to the stiff wrist joint, though he will be able to roam the jungles again.
But a new problem began to emerge as Agbo started to move more freely. The elephant received food during the treatment period as he could not move. He also got used to the food he was given. Known to be an aggressive elephant and a crop raider, Agbo then began moving toward fringes of nearby villages and was regularly spotted on the road. “The elephant is now reported to be staying near the roadside looking for food, and locals also say it has begun raiding shops for food,” said Dinuka Munasinghe, a nature photographer.
The elephant was even slow to respond when wildlife officers attempted to chase him away, as he appeared to have habituated toward humans with his long treatment process. Agbo’s case was indeed a complex situation, said veterinarian Tharaka. The priority was to treat the elephant for his trap gun wound to prevent him from developing a life-threatening infection, so vets had to sedate him several times and often went closer to the animal to use dart guns to inject medicine. The elephant could hardly move, so he also had to be fed.
“We had to continue this for more than four months, where the elephant showed signs of habituation toward humans, but we didn’t have any other option,” Tharaka added. Now, Agbo appears to have started to raid fields again and shows no fear of humans. His home range has a lot of farmlands, so there is also a heightened risk that someone may shoot him. But translocation is not a scientific solution, Tharaka told Mongabay, explaining the challenges Sri Lanka’s wildlife administrators face in managing problematic elephants.
Making their fear a reality, Agbo was once again shot at, in early November. Five bullets were wedged into his back leg and the wildlife veterinary team had to sedate the elephant all over again to remove the bullets from his body.
Complex problem
Agbo’s situation highlights a complex issue that lacks easy solutions, according to wildlife biologist and conservationist Prithviraj Fernando from the Centre for Conservation and Research. Prior to being injured, Agbo was known for raiding crops, and his initial reaction to people during treatment was one of aggression.
This behavior stemmed from past encounters where people would chase him away after he raided their lands. Consequently, Agbo viewed people as potential threats capable of causing him harm and preventing him from accessing the crops he desired to eat.
However, during the treatment period, Agbo’s interactions with humans changed significantly. People voluntarily provided him with fodder and did not exhibit any aggression towards him. In response, Agbo also became non-aggressive towards people. Yet, when people ceased providing him with food, he reverted to raiding crops, and villagers resumed chasing him away from their fields.
This cycle makes finding a lasting solution challenging, as explained by Fernando.
Some people believe that feeding Agbo “human food” like vegetables and fruits made him raid more often, as he developed a taste for human food. The elephant now craves such food, even though fruits and vegetables are things that elephants are naturally attracted to.
However, he is likely to approach people now (at least for a brief time), thinking they will feed him. But when he finds they no longer feed him and are back to preventing him from eating and acting aggressively toward him, he will reciprocate with aggression.
Trap guns
A trap gun, which crippled Agbo, is a locally made long-barrelled, muzzle-loading illegal firearm commonly used to hunt animals or to protect farmlands. Trap guns are mounted horizontally on stick pegs fixed to the ground with metal pieces loaded into the barrel as ammunition. They have a triggering mechanism, which is usually a chord that across frequented by game animals. Wild animals often fall victim to them.
Trap guns, along with snares and hakka patas or “jaw bombs” that blow inside the mouth when chewed, pose huge problems to elephants, said Fernando. All three are used for hunting bushmeat rather than against elephants. The use of these, particularly jaw exploders and snares, increased significantly despite the law permitting the killing of wild boar only when they turn into agricultural pests.
“Wild boar is the target of most of these traps, but while the law permits to kill wild boar for causing crop damage, it is still illegal to transport or sell the meat” renowned environmental lawyer, Jagath Gunawardana told Mongabay.
According to the DWC statistics, as many as 440 elephants have been killed in Sri Lanka up to Nov. 24. The three main causes of elephant deaths in the island are: guns, “hakka pattas” or jaw exploders and electrocution. In 2023, gunshots became the leading cause of death for the pachyderms.
A total of 80 elephants have died due to gunshot injuries, while electrocution claimed 57 lives and the jaw exploders, another 43. The DWC also listed 134 elephant deaths as cause unknown.
This year has also recorded the highest annual human death toll in history, with 155 deaths so far. The year 2022 recorded 146 human deaths.