06/06/2025
Something to think about.
🐘 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐍𝐨 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 – 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐲𝐚
Alright, I wasn’t really planning to write this, but after watching a recent video by a tourist family who were honestly just shocked at how little this is talked about, I felt like this has to be said somewhere.
Now here’s the part that really hit me hard. No one’s talking about it. Not in travel blogs. Not in the mainstream vlogs. Not even in most guidebooks or hotel briefings. It’s almost like this real danger has just been... ignored?
And I get it. People don’t want to “scare tourists” or make Sri Lanka look unsafe. But honestly? That silence does way more harm than good.
If you're planning to visit Sigiriya, especially if you're thinking about doing those early morning hikes to Lion's Rock or sunrise walks from your hotel or anywhere around rural jungle roads like Arugam Bay or the Kataragama–Ella route… this post might be one of the most important things you'll read.
But before I go into that, I want to say this:
Sigiriya’s honestly one of the most beautiful spots in Sri Lanka. I’ve stayed around here a few times, and every time it feels like you're in the middle of the wild. The small roads that lead into the village are proper jungle roads - surrounded by thick forest, barely wide enough for a tuk tuk, and completely silent except for birds and monkeys in the trees. It’s peaceful in the best way, and in daylight, it feels magical. But from someone who works with wildlife and spends a fair share of time in nature and organizing safaris,
I’ve got to say, most tourists don’t realise how serious it can get after dark. This area is right next to elephant corridors. Wild elephants, not the ones used to jeeps in national parks, actually pass through these roads at night. Especially in dry months, they come into the village looking for food and water. There are no streetlights, no signs - and you could easily cross paths with one without even knowing. It’s not something to panic about, but definitely something to respect. I’ve met locals who’ve lost people. I’ve seen how easily it can go wrong when people walk early morning to climb Lion Rock or head out late from their hotels. Just saying this as someone who genuinely cares - the jungle is beautiful, but you have to be aware it's still wild.
So going back to the story
A few days ago, a British family posted a video from Sigiriya. They were staying near Lion’s Rock, having an amazing time, until they found out something honestly concerning.
𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬…..
Just four days before their stay, a Canadian woman was killed by a wild elephant while walking early morning towards Lion’s Rock to catch the sunrise. Her husband survived with injuries, but she wasn’t so lucky. Even worse, just ten days before that, a young man was killed in another elephant attack-again, right in Sigiriya. That’s two lives lost in the same small area within two weeks. And Sigiriya isn’t some sprawling city. It’s a quiet, rural village.
But somehow, none of this is mentioned on most platforms tourists rely on. Not by influencers. Not by vloggers. Not even by hotels warning guests who wake up before dawn to walk the same roads.
𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥.
Elephants are not pets. They’re not supposed to be cute selfie moments. They’re not gentle giants who are always calm and kind. They are wild, unpredictable, emotionally complex animals who live by instinct and pride.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬
And yet, there’s this growing trend I’m seeing on YouTube and Instagram. People on bikes or tuk tuks riding up to wild elephants like it’s some spiritual moment. Offering bananas, jackfruit, whatever they can find. Trying to feed them. Pose next to them. Get that once-in-a-lifetime reel.
Especially on roads like B35– Kataragama to Buttala (Ella) through Yala, this happens a lot. That whole stretch is an elephant corridor, and people still do this.
Let me be very clear here:
𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞.
You’re teaching them to expect food from humans. You’re making them dependent. You’re damaging their health. These animals are meant to eat a natural, fibrous diet from the jungle. Not fruit from plastic bags.
When they eat too much fruit, it throws off their digestive system. Many develop diseases like diabetes, chronic colic, and long-term weakness. Even worse? Once they expect food and don’t get it, they turn aggressive.
That’s why we hear stories of elephants attacking vehicles, chasing down tuk tuks, smashing up motorbikes. They’re not being evil. They’re doing what they were taught.
Then there’s the male elephants.
Most people don’t know this, but adult male elephants don’t live in herds. They’re solitary for most of their life. And when they enter “musth”-their hormonal mating phase-they become extremely aggressive. Their testosterone levels spike. They become competitive. Easily triggered. Highly dangerous.
A male elephant in musth isn’t just unpredictable. He’s offended by your presence. He doesn’t need a reason to charge.
I saw a video yesterday,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXePgRkrXek
recently of a biker on a four-lane highway in Sri Lanka getting chased by a male elephant. The guy escaped by pure luck because a bus came the other way and scared the elephant off. But most of our rural roads are not highways. They’re empty, surrounded by bush, and pitch-dark at night. You don’t want to be stuck in a place like that when an elephant decides to block your path.
Now with tourist season building in Arugam Bay, places like Elephant Rock-a popular surf spot just outside town-are going to get more popular again. But here’s the thing: the road leading to it cuts through forest, and there have been wild elephant sightings in that very stretch. Don’t go there alone in the dark or super early. It might feel like a chill ride to the beach, but you’re still in elephant country.
You don’t know what’s behind those trees. And if you do come across a wild elephant-you have zero control over what happens next.
This is all part of what we call the human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka. It’s not just about property damage or crop raids. It’s about people dying. And elephants dying in return.
In January 2025 alone,
• 43 elephants were killed
https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/breaking-news/43-elephants-dead-within-January-alone-Minister/108-303273 in various parts of the island.
• Three humans also lost their lives –
https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/breaking-news/43-elephants-dead-within-January-alone-Minister/108-303273
In February,
• Two elderly siblings were killed – https://english.newsfirst.lk/2025/02/21/tragic-elephant-attack-claims-two-lives-in-aralaganwila by a wild elephant while walking early morning in Aralaganwila.
Other recent fatal incidents include:
• Tourist hit by wild elephant in Minneriya – https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/front-page/Tourist-hit-by-wild-elephant/238-280093
• Two killed in elephant attacks in Anuradhapura – https://english.newsfirst.lk/2024/11/30/two-killed-in-elephant-attacks-in-anuradhapura
• Man killed in wild elephant attack – Vavuniya – https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-news/Man-killed-in-wild-elephant-attack/108-306902
• Elderly brother and sister killed in Mahaoya – https://www.newswire.lk/2025/02/21/elderly-brother-sister-killed-in-wild-elephant-attack/
And to be honest, this isn’t even the full picture. The truth is, these incidents have become so common that many of them don’t even make it to national news anymore. Ask any local living near jungle zones, and they’ll tell you-they’ve heard about another elephant attack just this week.
It’s become such a norm, it barely gets reported.
So please, be extremely vigilant-especially if you're staying in places like Sigiriya, Arugam Bay, Wasgamuwa, or anywhere else surrounded by forest or close to elephant corridors.
This isn’t about fear-it’s about awareness. As someone who works closely with nature and organizes safaris for a living, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful and unpredictable elephants can be.
What looks like a peaceful village path can change in seconds.
Being alert, asking your hosts about elephant movement, avoiding isolated routes at dawn or night, and simply knowing that elephants live here too-can make a big difference.
It’s not something to panic about. It’s just one of those real things you should know-like a good local tip. A quiet part of reality that rarely makes it to glossy travel videos.
Stay sharp, trust the locals, and always respect the signs of the wild.
Respect their space. Respect their nature.
They are wild. They are powerful. And they are not here for our entertainment.
Stay safe out there.
If you're after a more relaxed and not-so-scary way of seeing elephants and other wildlife, I invite you to join a safari with us.
We’re a small local team , focusing on slow, respectful, and realistic safaris , to the best of our ability and what’s actually realistically possible, just giving you the space to really experience the wild.
And if you ever want to chat more about it, or you’re just curious to see how we do things differently, feel free to drop me a message or check out our page.
Prasanna
Nomad Trails – Sri Lanka
PS – If you liked the article and thought this was genuinely helpful, hit that like button or smash it if that’s something that you are into 😄.
Your reaction means a lot cuz it helps to reach more people through the algorithm, hence more people will see this content.
And if you're into slow, respectful, no-bs updates about wildlife, safaris, or real travel tips in Sri Lanka, feel free to follow
XX
