Don't feed the elephant: A critical examination of food‐provisioning wild elephants

Wildlife food provisioning may benefit tourism as it can increase sightings of cryptic species, bringing economic returns to local communities. However, food‐conditioned animals can become dangerous, resulting in the injury and death of wildlife, people or both. These negative impacts counteract potential benefits. Here, we examine the observed and potential impacts of food provisioning on wild Asian elephants by tourists to evaluate whether it can become a regulated activity. We present observations of wild Asian elephants ( Elephas maximus ) in Udawalawe National Park (UNP) Sri Lanka, between 2007 and 2024 and the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR) in southern India between 2007 and 2022, documenting negative outcomes of food‐provisioning by tourists. We also describe a successful de‐habituation effort for one elephant in the NBR. At UNP, 66 male elephants (9%–15% of the estimated male population) were observed seeking food from people at a boundary electric fence. Fourteen were seen at the fence in 11 or more years, and 52 were seen in 8 or fewer years. There were significant positive correlations between the tendency to be seen at the fence and the overall number of sightings per individual across years. Fatalities of at least three elephants and one person occurred near the fence. At NBR, 11 males were food habituated by tourists out of which four died through anthropogenic causes. We describe behavioural changes across years by one male at UNP and one male at NBR. Practical implications . Considering the possible social transmission of problematic behaviours, there is an urgent need to curb them before they spread among wild animal populations. We maintain that food provisioning of wild elephants by tourists cannot be a regulated activity and bans must be strictly enforced. In the long term, working with local stakeholders to educate tourists and habitat restoration are needed to discourage food provisioning by people and food seeking by elephants.