# @science on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DMahGP_Tzmz
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/32646304-science-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/8578477672.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-07-22T15:00:57.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Science 🧬 (@science) — https://gondola.cc/science

## Caption

🍬 A significant 18-year study published by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, confirms that tourist interactions involving feeding are leading to deadly consequences for Asian elephants in Sri Lanka and India. The research, detailed in the latest issue of the journal Conservation Biology, highlights how elephants have become conditioned to solicit food along roadsides, abandoning their natural foraging behaviors in favor of begging for sugary and processed snacks from people. This seemingly harmless act has created a cycle of dependency and danger for both species.⁠
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The study documents a sharp increase in human-elephant conflict in the observed areas. Elephants have grown bolder and more aggressive in their pursuit of food, leading to injuries and fatalities among tourists and locals. The animals themselves face immense risks, including a higher rate of traffic accidents as they linger on busy roads. Furthermore, post-mortem examinations of deceased elephants have revealed a tragic and growing problem: the ingestion of plastic food wrappers along with the handouts, which causes painful and often fatal digestive blockages.⁠
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The UC San Diego research team strongly urges a halt to this "food provisioning." They recommend stricter enforcement of laws prohibiting the feeding of wildlife and call for robust public awareness campaigns to educate tourists on the severe negative impacts of their actions. The study concludes that preserving the natural instincts of wild animals and ensuring public safety requires a clear understanding that feeding wildlife, no matter how well-intentioned, is a harmful practice with devastating outcomes.⁠
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#elephant #asianelephant #science #biology #sciencenews

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## Tags

science, elephant, sciencenews, biology, asianelephant

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