Experts Warn Growing Male Elephant Deaths Threaten Nepal’s Ecosystem

Experts Warn of Crisis as Wild Male Elephants Are Killed in Nepal

Wildlife experts in Nepal have raised alarm over the rising number of wild male elephants being killed each year, warning that continued deaths could create serious problems for elephant reproduction.

Dr. Ashok Kumar Ram, Chief Conservation Officer at Bardiya National Park and an elephant ecology specialist, says the killing of male elephants threatens the future of breeding programs. “We have a breeding centre in Sauraha, and even privately owned elephants rely on wild males for reproduction. If wild males disappear, the breeding centre will lose its purpose,” he says. “Killing elephants for selfish reasons is completely wrong. It affects the environment and the entire ecosystem.”

In the past 15 years, 58 elephants in Nepal have died due to human-related causes.

Conservationist Baburam Lamichhane points out that from Jhapa in the east to Kanchanpur in the west, elephant killings are rising every year. Last year alone, 12 elephants—mostly males—were killed. With around 200 wild elephants in the country, Lamichhane warns, “If male elephants continue to be killed at the rate of one per month, saving the species will become extremely difficult.”

Wild male elephants often leave their herds to find females and may mate with females at the Sauraha breeding centre. Elephants like Ronaldo, Dhrube, and Govinde have been key breeders at the centre. “Ronaldo and Dhrube alone have more than 20 offspring there. Wild males also breed with females in various park posts,” says Dr. Ram. “If wild males disappear, the breeding centre itself could collapse.”

Captive male elephants, he notes, are unsuitable for breeding because they often become aggressive afterward, making them dangerous for handlers.

Human-elephant conflicts also contribute to the problem. Wild males roaming in search of females sometimes harm people, and in retaliation, humans kill elephants. Dr. Ram suggests clearing settlements and structures from biological corridors—the elephants’ traditional migration routes—to reduce conflicts. He also calls for public awareness programs to prevent attacks on elephants.

From 2010 to 2017, 17 wild elephants entered the Jhapa, Parsa, and Chitwan corridors, and 16 were killed. Between 2020 and 2023, five male elephants traveled toward Sauraha via this route, with two later returning. On February 6, 2025, an elephant named Makuna was shot dead by the Nepal Army while being moved from Sauraha into the park’s core zone after it attacked park staff.

Lamichhane warns, “If elephants continue to be killed every year, future generations may know them only from the 1,000-rupee banknote.”

Currently, Chitwan National Park is home to 58 elephants, including calves. The National Trust for Nature Conservation has five elephants, and Sauraha has 45 privately owned elephants.