Here's what Thailand is using to curb growing wild elephant population

Thailand has given the first-ever use of a contraceptive vaccine on wild elephants as part of efforts to curb rapid population growth and reduce clashes with humans, a wildlife official confirmed on Wednesday (January 28). The vaccine was administered earlier this week to three female elephants in Trat province, located in the country’s southeast. According to Sukhee Boonsang, director of the Wildlife Conservation Office, eastern Thailand is seeing elephant birth rates climb by roughly eight per cent each year, far higher than the national average of three per cent.

If left unchecked, Sukhee warned, the growing population could intensify long-term conflicts between people and elephants. This “will cause more conflict between humans and elephants in the long term if we let it continue”, he was quoted as saying to news agency AFP. Veterinary teams delivered the vaccine remotely using dart guns, without sedating the animals, authorities said. Follow-up checks have shown no complications, and the elephants continue to behave normally. Blood tests will be conducted every six months to monitor their health.

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Thailand’s wild elephant population has surged from just over 300 in 2015 to nearly 800 last year, in addition to several thousand elephants held in captivity. Since 2012, encounters between humans and elephants have resulted in nearly 200 human deaths and more than 100 elephant fatalities.

The contraceptive method was previously trialed on seven captive elephants in Chiang Mai two years ago. Officials plan to expand the program, administering another 15 doses to elephants in other regions before the rainy season begins in May. Asian elephants, which are Thailand’s national symbol, are listed as endangered worldwide by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.