Copyright 2000, Associated Press
December 12, 2000

Asia's beleaguered elephant population could plummet if action isn't taken to resolve conflicts between man and beast, the World Wide Fund for Nature said in a report today.

Animals are being poisoned by plantation workers, shot by angry farmers, and killed for their meat, hide and tusks, according to the group, known as the World Wildlife Fund in North America. Train and road collisions have also resulted in accidental deaths of elephants.

In 1997, 126 wild elephants died because of conflict with humans in Sri Lanka alone, the organization said, while about 300 people die in India every year when hungry elephants forced from their traditional migration routes raid crops.

"Of the 35,000 to 50,000 Asian elephants that cling to survival, most are being squeezed into increasingly smaller woodland areas," said Elizabeth Kemf, WWF's species conservation information manager and report co-author.

Asian elephants survive in the wild in only 13 countries today, and the population is a tenth of that of African elephants.

The WWF called on governments to ensure that companies working in areas where elephants live comply with species protection laws. It also called for stronger enforcement of an international treaty that bans trade in Asian elephant products, and for enough well-trained people "to deal with the sociological, economic and ecological problems which threaten the survival of a heritage that belongs not only to Asia, but all the world's people," said Kemf. Error: Unable to read footer file.