Public Forum Debates Controversial Elephant Population Control Plan

wild elephants
Athapol Charoenshunsa, Director-General of The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation speaks at a public forum to discuss the controversial proposal of implementing birth control vaccines for wild elephants on Jan. 17, 2025.

BANGKOK — The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) held a public forum to discuss the controversial proposal of implementing birth control vaccines for wild elephants on Friday.

The meeting drew 300 participants, including 137 representatives from affected communities near conservation areas, 40 academics, 50 elephant conservation advocates, and 23 members of the House special committee on sustainable elephant conflict resolution.

The forum on January 17 revealed divided opinions on the proposed measure. Critics expressed concerns about potential negative effects on elephant health and questioned the vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing elephant raids. Meanwhile, supporters from affected communities argued that population control could help reduce agricultural damage caused by wild elephants.

“Beyond birth control vaccines, we want the DNP to expand and improve elephant barriers around conservation areas. We also need increased compensation for agricultural losses, property damage, and human casualties to ensure long-term coexistence between humans and elephants,” said a representative from an affected community.

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A poster providing information about contraceptive vaccines for wild elephants

Athapol Charoenshunsa, Director-General of the DNP, explained that the forum aimed to gather reasoned input rather than conduct a vote. He revealed that the vaccine has been successfully tested on seven domesticated elephants in collaboration with Chiang Mai University veterinarians over the past year, with plans to trial it on wild elephants in the Eastern Forest Complex this January.

Currently, Thailand’s wild elephant population stands at approximately 4,013-4,422 individuals across 16 forest complexes and 91 conservation areas. Severe human-elephant conflicts affect five major forest complexes and 41 protected areas across 42 provinces. Since 2012, wild elephant encounters have resulted in 240 human fatalities and 208 injuries, along with extensive property and crop damage.

Dr. Chatchote Thitaram from Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine detailed that the pZP vaccine, priced at approximately 8,000 baht per dose, provides seven years of contraceptive protection. The vaccine has shown promising results in initial trials, with no adverse reactions observed in test subjects.

The DNP emphasized that only 20 doses from the initial batch would be used for the upcoming trial phase, addressing concerns about large-scale implementation without proper evaluation.

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Thailand Sets January 2025 Start for Elephant Population Control