Elephant and Leopard Research

Elephant Research
The  globally significant biodiversity of Sri  Lanka is currently threatened due to extensive habitat loss and unsustainable  use of natural resources. The animal most affected by these activities is the  endangered Sri Lankan elephant. By integrating innovative concepts the Sri Lanka  Wildlife Conservation Society has pioneered several community-based human-elephant  conflict resolution projects in Sri Lanka and volunteer efforts through research  will see you helping and assisting the dedicated research team in their work,  to the impacts of the elephants in the local area.

During this programme  you will be out in the field with the researchers tracking and monitoring this  amazing species. The programme is offered for 4 weeks throughout the year.

Leopard  Research
Research on the endemic Sri Lankan sub-species of leopard (Panthera  pardus kotiya) has largely focused on populations of Yala National Park (Kittle  and Watson, in press) and Wilapattu National Park, representing dry climatic zones  of the southeast and northwest extents of the country. In contrast, the status  of the leopard in the central intermediate zone and the northeastern dry zone  is relatively unknown, although sightings are common among several non-contiguous  forest reserves and national parks in the region.

The project was recently  established to gather data on the density of leopards in the central and north  central provinces and also to understand the intensity of human-leopard conflict.  The leopard project provides the volunteers with an exciting diversion from only  doing elephant conservation and research work. When working for the leopard project  the volunteers also get to visit other areas in the Wasgamuwa region.

The  proposed plan to create a biological corridor ranging over the central, north  central and eastern provinces, encompassing a continuum from wet, intermediate  to dry climatic zones, volunteers are conducting a leopard survey by remote photography  to estimate leopard populations across both protected parcels and areas of human  habitation in this region.

This study will provide the first density  estimates for the Sri Lankan leopard by use of statistically rigorous mark-recapture  methodologies. To evaluate the field methods required for this regional study,  we are conducting a pilot project in the Himbiliyakade Forest Reserve, south of  Wasgamuwa National Park, Sri Lanka. The pilot project will consist of remote-photography  surveys and investigations. The first remote photography survey is being conducted  from March to May 2005. Future camera surveys will include Himbiliyakade Forest  Reserve, in addition to the Wasgamuwa National Park and the northern foothills  of the Knuckles Range (All three areas are subsequently referred to as the Wasgamuwa  region).

The total research area lies within the confines of the Central and North Central Province forests of Sri Lanka and the base camp is situated in the Pussellayaya village on a scenic hill overlooking a large tank (reservoir). The climate ranges from a low of 14oC in the wet zone mountains to a high of 34oC in the dry zone jungles, where the average temperature will be in the region of 25oC-32oC.

Expect hot and dry weather for the expedition with the occasional shower and humid day. Insects could be a problem in the night when they are attracted to the camp lights. The monsoon season (Dec-Feb) will be very wet with thundershowers throughout the day/night.

Volunteers for the leopard project must be very physically fit to hike about 10+ km per day in hot and humid conditions. They must also be willing to carry supplies and spend time camping when needed to set up and monitor cameras. These hikes could be dangerous due to wild elephants, sloth bears and other wild animals present in the jungle.

Please be prepared for basic living conditions. Wasgamuwa – the expedition base is a research station that consists of a central house with a kitchen, a small library, a dining area and a veranda. Team members will stay in rooms within the central house and also in cabanas made from local material dotted around the central house. Each cabana can accommodate two people comfortably and will share showers and toilets. Participants will pair up to share rooms, although sometimes it may be possible to cater for team members wishing to stay in single accommodation. You will be at least 4 hours from the closest internet cafe? and may have irregular mobile phone coverage in parts of the core study area.

There are some modern amenities such as showers, porcelain toilets and a finite amount of solar-generated electricity. All meals will be prepared for the team and vegetarians can be catered for. Clothes can be washed at base. Beds with mosquito netting will be provided.

The  main project objectives of the Elephant Research Project are:

1. Help  protect the Sri Lankan elephant by developing and providing management strategies  for its conservation.
2. Focus on the human aspects of human-elephant  conflict, and try to resolve them with the participation of the villagers who  are victims of elephant crop raiding. By helping the farmers to initially protect  their crops and property, the project will be building the credibility and integrity  of the conservation process in the communities whose support is essential and  crucial to the long-term conservation and management of the Sri Lankan elephant.
3. Develop processes to integrate community participation into human-elephant  conflict management.
4. Develop an integrated human-elephant conflict  management process which can be applied island-wide wherever there is conflict.
5. Develop village level community networks and provide facilities for  them to share and exchange ideas, information and experiences in regard to their  efforts to resolve HEC. Field visits between project villages will increase the  awareness of villagers and help build relationships and networks to support the  resolution of HEC island-wide.
6. Bring economic relief to the farmer  and help raise their standard of living by helping to stop crop depredation by  elephants. A farmer who can reap the benefit of his endeavours would be more tolerant  of the elephant, and more willing to help towards its? long term conservation.
7. Increase public awareness as to the plight of the elephant and help  garner their support for its conservation.
8. Develop activities that  would help the farmers to benefit from the elephant. Introduce the concept of  ecotourism. Such activities will help to show the elephant as a resource rather  than a liability and a deadly adversary.
9. Develop the project as a  model for possible replication in other range countries of the Asian elephant.
10. Give the larger international non-scientific community a first hand  experience of what it means to live around such a large and potentially destructive  animal and still desire to conserve elephants for our future generations.
11. While  the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWLC) is capable of protecting the elephant  and other wildlife within the protected areas, ensuring the long-term survival  of such a large and highly mobile animal as the elephant, especially outside the  network of protected areas though difficult is critical for the long-term conservation  of the Sri Lankan elephant. Thus there is a need to change to some innovative  approach to elephant conservation in Sri Lanka if elephants are to survive in  significant numbers outside the system of protected areas.