Why is this work needed?As the largest land mammals in Asia, Asian elephants have their own unique needs. Despite their long history of use in captivity, wild Asian elephants are generally very shy and cryptic, and with good reason - humans have preyed on elephants throughout much of our evolutionary history.
UWERP has the only long-term demographic and behavioral data on any wild Asian elephant population. We study elephants so that we can understand what their social and ecological needs are so that wild populations can be managed sustainably. |
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Current Work
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Male Behavior & Demography
Bull elephants lead independent lives from females as they get older, navigating friend and foe, competing for resources. In order to become successful, males take more risks than females, and in Sri Lanka males are largely responsible for conflicts with people as well. The Male Social Behavior study uses long-term data collected by UWERP and behavioral observations to uncover the social life of male elephants in Udawalawe.
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What We're Doing
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Field Notes & FindingsClick on any image to hear about our experiences and see what has been learned from more than 15 years of studying elephants!
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Key Publications
de Silva, S., P. Leimgruber (2019). “Demographic tipping points as early indicators of vulnerability for slow-breeding megafaunal populations.” Frontiers in Ecology & Evolution, 7, 171. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00171 [Full text + PDF] [Blog]
King, L., M. Pardo, S. Weerathunga, T.V. Kumara, N. Jayasena, J. Soltis, S. de Silva (2018). “Wild Sri Lankan elephants retreat from the sound of disturbed Asian honey bees.” Current Biology, 28:2, R64-R65. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.018 [Full text] [PDF] [Press]
de Silva S., C.E. Webber, U.S. Weerathunga, T.V. Pushpakumara, D.K. Weerakoon, G. Wittemyer (2013) “Demographic Variables for Wild Asian Elephants Using Longitudinal Observations.” PLoS ONE 8(12): e82788. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0082788. [Full text & PDF]
de Silva, S., A. Ranjeewa, & S. Kryazhimskiy, 2011. “The dynamics of social networks among female Asian elephants.” BMC Ecology, 11, 17. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6785-11-17. [Full text & PDF] [Blog] [Press]
de Silva, S.R., A. Ranjeewa, D. K. Weerakoon 2011. “Demography of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at Uda Walawe National Park, Sri Lanka based on identified individuals.” Biological Conservation, 144, 1742-1752. [PDF] [Online] [Blog].
King, L., M. Pardo, S. Weerathunga, T.V. Kumara, N. Jayasena, J. Soltis, S. de Silva (2018). “Wild Sri Lankan elephants retreat from the sound of disturbed Asian honey bees.” Current Biology, 28:2, R64-R65. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.018 [Full text] [PDF] [Press]
de Silva S., C.E. Webber, U.S. Weerathunga, T.V. Pushpakumara, D.K. Weerakoon, G. Wittemyer (2013) “Demographic Variables for Wild Asian Elephants Using Longitudinal Observations.” PLoS ONE 8(12): e82788. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0082788. [Full text & PDF]
de Silva, S., A. Ranjeewa, & S. Kryazhimskiy, 2011. “The dynamics of social networks among female Asian elephants.” BMC Ecology, 11, 17. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6785-11-17. [Full text & PDF] [Blog] [Press]
de Silva, S.R., A. Ranjeewa, D. K. Weerakoon 2011. “Demography of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at Uda Walawe National Park, Sri Lanka based on identified individuals.” Biological Conservation, 144, 1742-1752. [PDF] [Online] [Blog].
