Feeding Wildlife Fuels Dangerous Encounters, Study Warns

Habituation leads to conflict, injury, and death for both animals and humans

New research highlights the perilous consequences of people feeding wild animals, revealing how such actions can transform majestic creatures into aggressive dependents, creating severe risks for all involved.

Elephants Drawn to Danger

A study spearheaded by Assistant Professor Shermin de Silva from the University of California San Diego casts a stark light on the dangers of human-wildlife interactions. Her team’s findings, published in *Ecological Solutions and Evidence*, provide compelling evidence that feeding wild animals, particularly endangered Asian elephants in Sri Lanka and India, can lead to habituation, increased boldness, and aggressive behavior.

In Sri Lanka’s Udawalawe National Park, de Silva‘s 18-year investigation tracked elephant-tourist interactions. She observed elephants developing “begging” behaviors and becoming accustomed to sugary foods. This led some elephants to breach park fences in pursuit of food, resulting in human injuries and fatalities, alongside elephant deaths from ingesting plastic and contaminants.

More than 500 people are killed by wild elephants every year in India and Sri Lanka, and human-elephant conflict is a major threat to elephant conservation. #wildlife #conservation #elephants #Asia pic.twitter.com/u2U1IeR1H1

— Conservationists Unite (@SaveTheElephants) June 9, 2021

de Silva, who also founded the conservation group Trunks & Leaves, expressed concern over common tourist misconceptions. Many people, especially foreign tourists, think Asian elephants are tame and docile, like domestic pets, she stated. They don’t realize these are formidable wild animals and try to get too close in order to take photographs or selfies, which can end badly for both parties.

Behavioral Changes and Fatal Consequences

The study identified that a significant portion of the male elephant population in Udawalawe, estimated between nine to 15%, exhibited food solicitation from tourists. This dependency can lead to loss of natural foraging skills, especially in younger animals. One popular elephant, known as Rambo, became a regular fixture at the park’s feeding spots, highlighting the issue’s long-term nature.

In India’s Sigur region, coauthors Priya Davidar and Jean-Philippe Puyravaud of the Sigur Nature Trust documented similar feeding interactions. Of the 11 male Asian elephants they observed being fed, four died from suspected human-related causes. Though one elephant was successfully rehabilitated to natural feeding habits, the overall trend is worrying.

The researchers emphasized the dual danger: Food-conditioned animals can become dangerous, resulting in the injury and death of wildlife, people or both, their paper notes. These negative impacts counteract potential benefits. Disease transmission between humans and animals is also a heightened risk during these close encounters.

Call for Strict Enforcement

With approximately 800 to 1,200 elephants residing in Udawalawe National Park, the study’s findings underscore the urgent need for intervention. The authors strongly advocate for the strict enforcement of feeding bans.

Acknowledging that many people offer food with good intentions, believing they are helping, de Silva explained the detrimental cycle. But this encourages wild animals to seek food from people, attracting them to areas that can put themselves or people at risk, she warned. It can be a conduit for disease transfer between species.

Avoiding feeding wild animals, with very few exceptions, is crucial for responsible tourism and conservation. The study suggests that changes in animal movement patterns and a decline in natural foraging knowledge can occur when animals become overly reliant on human handouts.

Globally, feeding wildlife is a widespread issue. For instance, in North America, the National Park Service strictly prohibits feeding wildlife to prevent similar negative outcomes. Their guidelines stress that human food can be harmful to animals and create dangerous situations (National Park Service).

de Silva urges the public to practice responsible interaction with nature, emphasizing that a desire to help can inadvertently lead to harm.