Abstract:
Elephants’ (Elephas maximus maximus) invasion into the crop lands, damaging properties and
occasional human deaths are common features in the surroundings of the Yala and Udawalawe
National Parks of Southern Wildlife Region. Elephants’ invasion beyond the Western boundary of the
Yala Block One (Yala B-1) is a prolong problem. The objective of this paper is to identify the main
causes for the elephants’ seasonal invasion beyond the Western boundary of the Yala B-1. Purposive
sampling has been employed as one of the main techniques to collect data from targeted respondents.
Particularly, questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews with farmers using semi structured questions,
focus groups discussions with victims of elephants’ invasions, key informant interviews with park
officers and with Jeep drivers were conducted during the months of August and December in 2016 and
April in 2017. High concentrated human activities including continuous visits, high concentration of
Safari Jeeps, visitors’ immoral behavior against elephants, human encroachments to the park: hunting,
crop cultivation, cannabis cultivation, falling of trees, allowing domestic livestock to graze, gem
mining are on-going inside the Yala B-1. Besides, Choices of the crops for agriculture in the
neighbouring areas of the park are pretty much attractive to the Elephants, which direct them to invade
villages. Moreover, Elephants becoming aggravated to feed rather ready-made crops in the field, grains
in warehouses and food remains from garbage disposing areas as well as in the bins are identified
causes for the elephants’ invasion beyond the Western boundary of the Yala B-1.
