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The Secret to Saving Asian

Published

3 years ago

2023/12/31

The Sri Lankan elephant is a sub-species of the endangered Asian elephant. They’re responsible for more than 90 deaths a year in Sri Lanka

Elephants ? Oranges

BY ZINARA RATNAYAKE

In Sri Lanka, human-elephant conflict has disrupted farmers for generations. In some cases, people are killed. Now, a local conservation organization is looking to citrus as a solution. Bees and fences can’t stop elephants from attacking villages—but orange trees miraculously can.

The November morning was blue-skied and bright. When Wije appeared behind the large orange tree shading his front yard, his eyes crinkled with a broad smile. He wore a rainbow-coloured sarong, a blue face mask, and a Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS) T-shirt. This is where he works as a fieldhouse manager. He plucked an orange from a tree to prepare juice. In his village, oranges aren’t just a fruit. They’re a solution to an age-old environmental problem: human-elephant conflict.

Like many villages in the countryside of Sri Lanka, Pussellayaya boasts postcard-worthy landscapes. Wije, short for Aluthgedara Wijerathne, is a 43-year-old native of Pussellayaya, which sits in the southern boundary of Wasgamuwa National Park, about 143 miles from the capital city Colombo in Sri Lanka.

When the charred evening clouds in November bring rain to the village, farmers start sowing the fields of paddy that disappear into a ridgeline of the Knuckles Mountain Range. In the coming months, farmers toil in the fields, but the surrounding wildlife doesn’t make their life easy.

“During the last decade, elephants killed four villagers,” says Wije in his native language Sinhala. “We get very scared at night. Elephants came to destroy our crops and houses. We didn’t have a choice but to retaliate. We lit firecrackers to scare them off, but they became more aggressive, so we fired gunshots into the air, and sometimes at elephants. We didn’t want to harm wild animals, but they were destroying everything we had.”

Growing up in the village, Wije remembers the sleepless nights he spent with his parents. They lit fires and slept on rickety treehouses in the open air in the rice fields, trying to scare off hungry elephants looking for ripe paddy—the only source of income Wije’s parents had.

Orange trees have helped protect Wije’s rice crops while helping him branch out into the world of citrus.

Wije’s story is not different from that of thousands of others living in rural Sri Lanka. The country’s rapidly growing human population and subsequent demand for land result in clearing of natural habitats, squeezing wild animals—like elephants—into smaller pockets of land

The Sri Lankan sub-species of the Asian elephant is already endangered—with as few as 2,500 elephants remaining in Sri Lanka today—but this forces them into shattered jungle habitats. Wild elephants rampage adjacent villages (their original habitat) looking for natural sources of food and water.

A 2010 report by Columbia University’s Earth Institute found that, historically, elephant deaths coincided with reduced rainfall in Sri Lanka’s eastern region. The climate crisis is set to change precipitation patterns in the country and increase the risk of drought. Sri Lanka, which ranked second in the 2019 global climate risk index, already experiences erratic weather patterns.

During Sri Lanka’s dry season, water bodies dry up. Trees wither. Water buffaloes resort to the last remaining mud puddles while searing hot weather cracks the arid soil. In this fetid heat, elephants frequently wander around looking for water, some of them migrating through human habitats where resources exist.

Every year in Sri Lanka, the elephants destroy $10 million worth of crops and property. For the last two years, elephants have killed more than 90 people a year in Sri Lanka. Fearful farmers fight back; in 2019, they killed a record 405 elephants. While human-elephant conflict is a threat to these jungle giants, it also puts impoverished farmers in a vulnerable situation.

“We need to help humans first. If we do that, we can save elephants.”

In the early 1990s, conservationists in Sri Lanka tried to solve the problem by installing electric fences around the villages. But elephants are smart creatures: They began using sticks or branches to break these wires. Busy farmers then have to spend time rebuilding the wires. Ravi Corea, founder of SLWCS, says that farmers who live hand to mouth don’t have the luxury of spending time on such repairs.

Corea understood the need for a long-term solution during his time near Wasgamuwa about three decades ago. After he launched SLWCS in 1995, Corea initiated the project Saving Elephants by Helping People (SEHP) in 1997 to research community-led responses. “I realized that we need to help humans first,” he says. “If we do that, we can save elephants.”

The Knuckles Mountain Range looms in the background as farmers work the fields

Around 2005, Corea got a surprising tip from the villagers. “Elephants are amazing creatures,” he says, laughing. “They like to remind us that they are the kings in the jungle.”

Elephants often display their power by uprooting trees—but there was one type they left alone: citrus.

So a year later, SLWCS conducted a series of feeding trials with six captive Asian elephants at Dehiwala Zoo, located in suburban Colombo. While elephants gulped down other things such as melons, bananas, paddy, and palm leaves, they tended to eschew oranges and lime fruits and leaves. Their study (which has not been peer-reviewed) concluded that Asian elephants in Sri Lanka have a natural aversion to citrus.

The researchers never found out why elephants didn’t like citrus—they suspect the compound called limonene might be behind it—but those results were promising enough to expand the solution. Corea had already tried other options in between—like beehive fences. They involve fencing the farmer’s crops with beehives. This invention has worked in parts of Africa, but Sri Lankan bees don’t sting as hard as the killer bees of Africa. Moreover, the bees would leave in the dry season in search of water.

By 2011, SLWCS moved forward on the potential citrus solution: It donated orange trees to 12 farmers in Radunna Wewa, another small hamlet in Wasgamuwa. After three years, as the orange plants grew, the farmers saw the difference the plants made. While elephants still stormed through the surrounding main roads, they would take a detour when they smelled citrus. The strong smell of orange now keeps the elephants out of the village, protecting crops and property.

Sixty-year-old Waththegedara Anulawathie is one of Radunna Wewa’s first orange growers. “Elephants don’t come now,” Anulawathie says, her wrinkled face lighting up. Her black and gray hair is loosely braided; her baby pink blouse bright against the backdrop of paddy fields nearby. “Some months, we lost most of our harvest,” she says, pointing to where elephants reduced a house to nothing. “Now we go to sleep at night,” she smiles.

Since their earliest program in Radunna Wewa almost 10 years ago, SLWCS has planted trees in more than 12 villages in the Wasgamuwa region, distributing 25,000 orange plants. Pussellayaya is one of their latest additions. Each of the village’s 300 houses has at least 10 orange trees. In the last five years, SLWCS has estimated that the Wasgamuwa region contributed only about two percent to national human-elephant conflict—including property and crop damage, human deaths, and elephant deaths—according to annual data the organization collects from the region’s Department of Wildlife Conservation.

“Now elephants don’t harm the poor farmers, and farmers don’t harm the elephants,” Corea says, “It’s a win-win for both parties.”

While oranges kept elephants away, their commercial value further incentivized farmers to cultivate the crop. Most traditional paddy farmers struggle to meet their needs, but oranges now provide them an additional income. Farmers grow Bibile sweets, a green orange from Bibile, Sri Lanka, which suits the climate. Anulawathie says a fully grown tree yields about 300 to 500 oranges, which she sells for 15 rupees (about $0.10) each.

However, soaring heat and extreme drought threaten these orchards. In Anulawathie’s garden, two young trees died in August, the driest month of the year. While SLWCS has already developed an irrigation system that brings in water from nearby canals, lakes, and springs, farmers are still struggling.

As more farmers grow Bibile sweets, Corea says they will help protect the natural water springs. Once the trees grow into large orchards, they’ll help shade the bare soil from the harsh sun. Birds, butterflies, and other insects come for orange flowers, too, increasing the area’s biodiversity. “Oranges are addressing the issues of the ecosystem shared by elephants, humans, and other wildlife,” Corea says.

SLWCS relies on volunteers and donations for its projects. While Corea has plans to expand this program, the conservation efforts would require more financial support and intervention from government authorities. Corea and his team had planned to begin feeding trials in Tanzania to African elephants, but the pandemic put that on pause. “We want to see if African elephants show a resistance to citrus as well.”

Now that elephants don’t come to raid their paddy, farmers in Pussellayaya can sleep peacefully. They can reap and sell their harvest in full. Wije, for instance, was able to buy a tuk tuk (auto rickshaw) with last year’s earnings. Wije walks me around the village and shows me a home. The garden is dotted with orange trees, planted only four years ago. In May, the family sold their first harvest.

We walk to the SLWCS field office, and Wije squeezes a few oranges for juice. It’s a great way to kill the scorching heat. Wije peels off the orange rind, but he has already learned that the outer skin is also useful. SLWCS is planning to make essential oil from orange peel, as well as introduce products with a longer shelf life: jam, bottled-juices, and cordials.

Wije believes these products can help bring more income to the villagers. “Until then, we are thankful that elephants don’t come here anymore. Our rice is safe. Our houses are safe. We are safe,” Wije says, smiling. “Elephants are safe, too.”

(BBC)

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Nanda Malini Ascocenda: A flower that carries the name of a legendary voice

Published

1 day ago

2026/08/30

Thilina Walpola

By Ifham Nizam

A flower named after one of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated voices has become a unique tribute to the country’s cultural heritage, with the Nanda Malini Ascocenda orchid carrying the name of veteran singer Dr. Nanda Malini.

The orchid was named in honour of Nanda Malini, recognising her outstanding contribution to Sri Lankan music and culture. She is among the country’s most acclaimed singers, with a career spanning several decades and a repertoire deeply rooted in Sri Lankan social and cultural experiences.

The striking illustration, released by the Ministry of Environment on August 21, features the veteran singer surrounded by colourful orchids and musical notes, bringing together two important elements of Sri Lankan identity — the country’s rich natural heritage and its musical tradition.

The Nanda Malini Ascocenda is particularly significant because it represents an unusual meeting point between art and nature. Orchids have long been associated with Sri Lanka’s botanical wealth, while the naming of individual hybrids after distinguished personalities provides a lasting link between the country’s natural and cultural heritage.

According to published accounts, the Nanda Malini Ascocenda was named in 2004 in recognition of the singer.

A recent profile described her as possibly the only Sri Lankan artiste to have an orchid named after her by the Orchid Circle of Sri Lanka.

Nanda Malini’s contribution to music has been recognised through numerous awards. She has also performed internationally and remains one of the most recognised figures in Sri Lankan music.

Her association with songs reflecting social realities, human emotions and national identity has given her a special place in the country’s cultural landscape.

The orchid, therefore, represents more than a botanical curiosity. It is a living tribute to an artiste whose voice has accompanied generations of Sri Lankans.

The Ministry of Environment’s presentation also serves as a reminder that conservation is not limited to forests, wildlife and ecosystems. Sri Lanka’s natural heritage is closely intertwined with its history, culture, art and the people who have enriched the nation’s identity.

As the colourful blooms of the Nanda Malini Ascocenda evoke the beauty of Sri Lanka’s orchid heritage, the name attached to them ensures that the contribution of one of the country’s most distinguished musical voices continues to live on in an entirely different form — through nature itself.

Life style

The Best of Malkoha celebrates half a century of Sri Lankan ornithological writings

Published

1 day ago

2026/08/30

Thilina Walpola

Distinguished gathering

By Ifham Nizam

The launch of The Best of Malkoha: Half a Century of Ornithological Writings marked a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s birdwatching and conservation history, as the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) celebrated its Golden Jubilee at the Faculty of Science, University of Colombo.

The book, drawn from five decades of writings published in Malkoha, the FOGSL newsletter, brings together a rich record of observations, discoveries and experiences that helped shape modern field ornithology in Sri Lanka.

The launch formed part of FOGSL’s first-ever Founders’ Day, held on August 22, a date chosen to coincide with the 76th birthday of Vidyajothi Emeritus Professor Sarath Kotagama, one of the Organisation’s founding figures and its enduring source of inspiration.

The occasion brought together academics, conservationists, naturalists, birdwatchers, students, young birders and members of FOGSL, reflecting the broad community that the organisation has cultivated since its establishment in 1976.

Section of the invitees

Biodiversity expert Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda, delivering the Golden Jubilee Founders’ Day Oration, used the occasion to reflect on five decades of biodiversity research and conservation in Sri Lanka, while paying tribute to Professor Kotagama and the role played by FOGSL in taking birdwatching beyond a small circle of specialists.

Pethiyagoda said the organisation’s greatest achievement had been its ability to make knowledge of birds and nature accessible to ordinary people.

He recalled how, in the early 1990s, Professor Kotagama had proposed producing an affordable field guide so that birdwatching would no longer be restricted by the high cost of existing publications.

That resulted in the publication of A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka in 1994, which Pethiyagoda published and which subsequently became a bestseller.

The collaboration later produced Sri Lanka Kurulu in Sinhala, making serious bird identification and knowledge available to an even wider audience.

Pethiyagoda recalled a particularly emotional encounter that demonstrated the lasting impact of that work.

During a recent visit to Talangama to accompany Australian birdwatchers, he encountered two boys, aged around 12 and 14, carrying a battered copy of Sri Lanka Kurulu and using it to identify birds.

“I just started crying,” Pethiyagoda said, describing the moment as evidence of how knowledge had been passed from one generation to another.

: Prof Nihal Dayawansa

: Dr. Pethiyagoda

: Prof Kotagama

: Birthday celebration

He said the achievements of the past 50 years should not be underestimated. Sri Lanka has witnessed major advances in health, education, infrastructure and conservation, while the country’s protected-area network has expanded considerably.

At the same time, however, he warned that biodiversity research and conservation continue to face serious institutional challenges.

Pethiyagoda pointed to habitat fragmentation, climate change, inadequate scientific research and restrictions on field research as major challenges facing the next generation of conservationists.

He said climate change would increasingly force species to move towards cooler, higher elevations, but fragmented habitats could prevent them from making such movements.

“Our challenge now is to connect up those little fragments so that plants and animals can migrate across these landscapes,” he said, stressing the importance of restoring ecological connectivity.

He also called for greater investment in ex-situ conservation for species facing extinction and urged the establishment of conservation facilities across Sri Lanka’s different climatic zones.

Pethiyagoda placed particular emphasis on citizen science, arguing that Sri Lanka possessed an enormous reservoir of public enthusiasm for biodiversity.

He noted that more than 20,000 Sri Lankans were now involved in citizen science through platforms such as iNaturalist, with Sri Lankan users generating significant biodiversity data.

“The appetite for science, the appetite for conservation, for exploration, for discovery is there in the people,” he said.

Pethiyagoda also paid an emotional tribute to Professor Kotagama, describing him as the constant force behind much of Sri Lanka’s modern conservation movement.

“In future generations, we will talk of conservation in this country as before Kotagama and after Kotagama,” he said.

He also acknowledged Professor Kotagama’s wife, Namali, for being the “bedrock” of his household and for supporting his decades-long contribution to conservation.

The Golden Jubilee celebrations also looked back at the origins of FOGSL.

The Organisation was founded on October 10, 1976, when four passionate bird enthusiasts—the late P. B. Karunaratne, Professor S.U.K. Ekaratne, Professor Sarath Kotagama and Rex I De Silva —came together with a shared objective of making birdwatching accessible beyond the relatively exclusive group that had traditionally dominated the field.

FOGSL was subsequently formally recognised by the University of Colombo and developed as a platform bringing together birdwatchers, researchers, students, educators and nature enthusiasts.

Its philosophy was simple: one did not need an academic qualification to become a member. Enthusiasm, careful observation, recording and sharing knowledge were enough.

That principle continues to define the Organisation.

FOGSL has since become Sri Lanka’s BirdLife International partner and has played an important role in bird research, conservation, environmental education, field studies, school programmes and citizen science.

Its work has extended from research on endemic birds and migratory species to biodiversity monitoring, conservation education and programmes aimed at children and young people.

Speaking at the event, FOGSL President Professor Nihal Dayawansa said the organisation’s founding vision remained relevant even after half a century.

The Organisation, he noted, was created not simply as a birdwatching club but as a platform through which people could study and conserve Sri Lanka’s birds while inspiring the wider public to appreciate nature.

The Founders’ Day itself was described as an opportunity to honour those who established and shaped the Organisation while celebrating the contribution of generations of members.

Professor Mayuri Wijeyasinghe, Head of the Department of Zoology and Environmental Sciences, said FOGSL had given ornithology a new meaning in Sri Lanka by taking birdwatching beyond an elite community and making it accessible to ordinary people and schoolchildren.

She noted that Sri Lanka, as a tropical island with a remarkable diversity of birds and a high level of endemism, had a special responsibility to understand and conserve its avifauna.

The Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor I.M.K. Fernando, meanwhile, said that although his own field was physics, he recognised the common foundation shared by all branches of science—curiosity.

He congratulated FOGSL on reaching 50 years and praised its contribution to research, education, student development, wetland conservation, public awareness and science-based advice on development projects.

“The work goes far beyond publishing,” he said, noting the Organisation’s lectures, school programmes, research projects and conservation initiatives.

He also paid tribute to Professor Kotagama, describing him as a legend whose influence had extended well beyond ornithology.

Professor Kotagama, speaking after receiving tributes from colleagues and friends, said the Organisation’s foundations had been laid with a belief that people could make a difference.

He stressed the importance of taking decisions based on scientific knowledge and criticised excessive bureaucratic barriers that, in his view, prevented scientists from carrying out important field research.

Reflecting on his own period as Director of Wildlife Conservation, he said he had sought to transform the Department into a scientific institution.

“For me and for us who were working in the Mahaweli environment programme at that time, we knew that if not for science, you cannot go forward in conservation,”

Professor Kotagama said, stressing that conservation required both natural and social sciences.

He recalled the challenges faced by the Department, including inadequate staffing structures and poor career progression for wildlife officers, and said efforts had been made to introduce a more professional and scientifically grounded system.

The 50-year journey of FOGSL is closely intertwined with the development of modern field ornithology in Sri Lanka.

From the early days when birdwatching was largely confined to a small group of specialists, the Organisation helped create a culture in which students, schoolchildren, amateur birdwatchers and citizen scientists could contribute to the understanding of the country’s biodiversity.

The launch of The Best of Malkoha, therefore, served as more than the unveiling of another publication. It was a record of that transformation.

The writings collected in the volume represent five decades of observations and experiences, documenting how Sri Lankan field ornithology evolved through the work of generations of birdwatchers, researchers and conservationists.

As theOorganisation enters its next half century, the message emerging from the Golden Jubilee celebrations was clear: the future of conservation will depend not only on institutions and scientists but also on an informed and empowered public.

FOGSL’s enduring motto—”Once a member, always a member”—perhaps best captures that legacy: a lifelong connection with birds, nature, scientific observation and the responsibility to protect Sri Lanka’s extraordinary natural heritage.

Life style

Heart that beats for humanity

Published

1 day ago

2026/08/30

Thilina Walpola

Dr Rajitha Y de Silva: Healing hearts, saving lives

Dr. Rajitha de Silva

By Zanita Careem

Dr. Rajitha Y. de Silva, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Consultant at Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital, has built a distinguished career around one of medicine’s most demanding discipline – surgery of the heart. With his expertise, precision and pioneering spirit, he has become closely associated with the advancement of Minimally Invasive Cardiac surgery in Sri Lanka. He joined Sri Jayewardenpura General Hospital in 2013 and is today recognised as a pioneer of Minimally Invasive Cardiacs procedures in the country.

He is particulary recognised as a pioneer of mimimallyinvasive surgery in Sri lanka,with experience in procedures including minimally invasive coronary surgery and mitral valve repair. He is recognition as a leading figure in the advancement of modern cardiac surgery in the country. With years of specialised training and experience behind him, Dr de Silva has built a reputation in cardiothoracic surgery while remaining deeply conscious of the human story behind every patient who enters the operating theatre. For him, the beating heart is more than an organ to be repaired – it represents a life, a family, a future and a second chance.

His commitment to patients extends well beyond the operating theatre. Having witnessed the financial hardships faced by heart patients who desperately needed surgery but could not afford it. Dr de Silva, together with Senior Cardiologist Dr. Ruwan Ekanayake, co-founded the Heart to Heart Trust Fund.

The initiative was created with a powerful objective, that no patient should be denied life saving cardiac treatment simply because of financial difficulties.

Perhaps one of the most striking aspects of Dr de Silva’s personality is that his concern for patients does not end when the operation is over. His vision has included creating initiatives that make the difficult journey of cardiac patients more humane, giving them encouragement, dignity and hope during a period when they are often at their most vulnerable. Abayadhana was born from a simple but powerful conviction that every patient deserves a chance to live.

Through the Abayadhana programme, he represents his compassionate approach to caring for people who need not only medical attention, but also understanding, encouragement and support. What makes this initiative particularity meaningful is the personal commitment behind it. It reflects his belief that healing is not only about medicine, but about reaching out to people when they are most vulnerable.

Away from the intensity of the operating theatre, Dr. Rajitha de Silva finds another kind of joy – his passion for cricket over the years; he has taken the field in numerous matches, playing alongside and against many well known personalties.

Dr. Rajitha de Silva’s journey is guided by compassion and success anchored in humanity. From pioneering milestones in cardiac surgery to the Heart to Heart Trust Fund and the Abayadhana initiative, he has continued to give back to the people whose lives he touches. His love for cricket, his warmth and generosity reveal the heart behind the healing hands.

A surgeon by profession, a humanitarian by choice and a cricketer by heart, Dr. Rajitha’s greatest legacy may not be measured only by the operations he has performed, but by the lives he has changed, the hope he has restored and the hearts he has touched.

The trustees of the Heart to Heart Trust Fund stand united behind the mission of saving lives and giving hope. Their collective commitment helps turn the Trust’s vision into meaningful support for patients and families in need

The Executive Director, Heart to Heart Trust Fund, Shanti Fernando, plays a hands on role in turning the Trust’s vision into action, coordinating efforts, and bringing hope where it is needed.

Behind Dr. Rajitha de Silva’s demanding life is his wife, Dr. Arunie, and children, who has been his strength and support.