Elephants have to be some of the most majestic animals on the planet. With their beautifully inquisitive and emotive eyes, intense memories and intellect, and a strong sense of social community, they are some of the most peaceful and compassionate wildlife. Yet as humans, we don't always treat them as respectfully as they deserve.
Human encroachment on elephants' natural wild habitats has caused them to wander into
Sri Lankan landfills and community trash piles, looking for food to feed themselves and their families. This sad situation has been ongoing for a while now — but during COVID, it's reached heartbreakingly new heights.
People have tried to stop the elephants from rummaging in landfills by building fences. But since they're starving, the elephants have no choice but to crash through the fences and desperately forage anyway.
The only real way to solve this situation is by stopping habitat destruction and rampant deforestation!Sign the petition to demand that authorities in Sri Lanka step in and enforce strict limits on habitat destruction to save these elephants' lives!Inevitably, much of what the elephants pick out of our rubbish piles is coated in plastic — and that non-biodegradable, gasoline-based, toxic material ends up directly in these animals' stomachs. From there, the plastics can tangle up and around the elephants' intestines, causing horrifically painful deaths.
In fact, the plastics situation has gotten so grim,
these products have actually joined poaching and human construction as one of the top threats to these animals' survival.
It's time to make sure elephants never go so hungry that they are pushed into eating plastic-covered garbage.
Sri Lanka has witnessed huge booms in construction and development, much of which has devastated elephants' homes and food supplies. Their leaders must take responsibility and put an end to this now.
Urge Sri Lankan officials to enforce strong regulations to protect elephants' lives and habitats!