Throughout the years, elephants have added symbolic, cultural, and economic significance to Sri Lanka. These lovely species are now endangered due to the loss of their original habitats, which is the primary threat causing this unfortunate situation. The Sri Lankan elephant is identified as the largest of Asia’s four elephant subspecies. However, according to WWF [World Wildlife Fund Inc], Sri Lankan elephants are classified as “Endangered” in terms of their level of risk.
The “Human-Elephant Conflict” in Sri Lanka is one of the most commonly discussed issues in the country, and which is at its worst currently. It has been reported that approximately 70 humans are killed by elephants each year, with 3000 homes being attacked, and that 300 elephants are killed by humans yearly in the county.
Furthermore, these elephants destroy 10 million rupee worth of crops each year, threatening the livelihoods of poor farmers and the country’s agricultural economy as a whole. Because the current measures to prevent humans and elephants from coming into contact have proven ineffective, people have turned to their own safety precautions, such as using guns, poisons, electrocutions, and other harmful methods such as “Hakka Patas” [A tiny round of explosives used to scare away elephants, resulting in the tragic death of the animal]. The elephant population in the country has been substantially reduced as a result of these hazardous techniques.
We, at D’Las International, took this as a challenge which is to identify and implement nonviolent solutions that are safe for both humans and elephants. As a responsible organization that values both nature and animals, we take into account that it is our responsibility to protect and take care of these wonderful elephants as well as humans who are getting affected.
As a result, we implemented the “Elephants Protection Program” as one of our main CSR activities, in keeping with our business vision of serving the community. All of our products manufactured under the D’Las and HDDES brands will include the Elephant Protection Program logo, and every purchase will contribute to the project’s funding.
In addition, through multiple types of research carried out by our R & D team about elephant’s behavior on certain pungent plants and the level of sensitivity to smell, our incense sticks brand “AURA” successfully produced an incense stick to repel Elephants from locations with a high degree of Human-Elephant conflict. The aroma of the incense sticks is having the capability of keeping the wild elephants away.
This development was deemed a perfect success because of test results exceeded the projected rate. This amazing development restores hope to both villages and elephants, as we are now one step closer to fixing one of the country’s most devastating social-economic problems.
