斯里兰卡标志性公象卡万蒂萨之死引发栖息地忧虑

斯里兰卡标志性公象卡万蒂萨于10月16日死亡，其死亡再次暴露了该国日益加剧的人象冲突问题。1卡万蒂萨被认为是斯里兰卡最高的公象，年龄约45岁，身高约3.3米，体重5.5吨。1该象在9月底被发现右腿中枪伤，随后伤势恶化导致死亡。1

这一事件反映了斯里兰卡面临的严峻野生动物保护困境。根据数据，2019年以来斯里兰卡平均每年约370头大象和125人死于人象冲突。1目前斯里兰卡约有7451头野生大象，其中约70%生活在保护区外。1大象日均需食用约150公斤青饲料，这驱使它们进入农田寻找食物，引发与农民的冲突。1

栖息地丧失是问题根源所在。1960年至2020年间，斯里兰卡农村人口从825万增至1780万，农业扩张导致森林覆盖率大幅下降。1斯里兰卡拥有全球约10%的亚洲象种群，是亚洲象密度最高地区。1为缓解冲突，当地已推行"EleFriendly"巴士服务，该举措使沿线人象冲突减少超过90%。1

An iconic tusker named Kawantissa, considered Sri Lanka's tallest wild elephant at approximately 3.3 meters tall and weighing 5.5 tonnes, died on October 16 following a gunshot wound to its right leg that was discovered by villagers in late September 1. The death of the roughly 45-year-old animal has intensified concerns about escalating human-elephant conflict in the island nation, where habitat destruction threatens the survival of an already-stressed population 1.

Sri Lanka is home to approximately 7,451 wild Asian elephants, representing roughly 10 percent of the global Asian elephant population and the highest density of the species in Asia 1. However, deforestation and agricultural expansion have severely reduced elephant habitats, forcing the animals to venture into farmland in search of sustenance—adult elephants require around 150 kilograms of green fodder daily 1. The consequences are dire: since 2019, an average of 370 elephants and 125 people have died annually in human-elephant conflicts in Sri Lanka 1. Approximately 70 percent of the country's wild elephants now live outside protected areas 1.

The underlying driver of conflict is demographic pressure. Sri Lanka's rural population has grown from 8.25 million in 1960 to 17.8 million in 2020, shrinking the available space for wildlife 1. Yet some mitigation efforts have shown promise—the "EleFriendly" bus service operating along key corridors has reduced human-elephant conflicts by more than 90 percent along its route 1, suggesting that targeted interventions may help manage coexistence between humans and elephants in this densely populated region.