Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan

#longpostalert 27 Years Without You, Acha ! Tomorrow, the twelfth, makes it 27 years. I was nine. Old enough to understand death, not old enough to understand what I had actually lost. At nine, you think grief is the funeral. The gathering, faces known and unknown, the crying, the smell of incense. You think it ends when people stop coming to the house. It does not. The real loss came later, in pieces, when life kept sending me situations that needed a father. And there was only me — a child pretending to be a man because there was no one else left to fill the chair at the head of the table. I do not remember the exact moment I stopped being a child. There was no announcement. It just happened, somewhere in the months after he left. The subconscious shift. One day you are asking Amma for permission to go play. The next day you are watching her eyes at night, checking if she has eaten, if she has cried after we slept, wondering if we have enough for next month. You learn to read a room before you have learned fractions. Innocence does not die in one blow. It leaks out, slowly. Every time you choose silence over asking for help because you are “the man of the house” now. Every time you swallow your fear because your sister is looking at you the way you used to look at your father, like you have the fix for it. I was nine, trying to wear shoes ten sizes too big. Shoes that were never meant for me. Shoes of responsibility, of decision-making, of being the buffer between my mother and the world, between my sister and every bad thing I thought I could keep away if I just grew up faster. In fifth grade, when classmates asked “Where’s your Achan?” Or “What does he do?”, I did not have an answer. Not something a 10-year-old could perhaps say out loud without breaking. I was too small to explain death, too ashamed to admit I did not know how to be a son when the father was gone. So I would shrug, or lie, or change the subject. Every question was a reminder that my house had a missing wall, and I was too young to build it back. ——Continued in comments——

Some places don’t just give you a view — they shift something quiet inside you. Kodachadri. Sarvajna Peetom. Where Adi Shankaracharya is said to have attained the pinnacle of knowledge. Standing there, the air felt heavy in the best way: silence, wind, and the sense that you’re on ground people have walked with reverence for centuries. Divine doesn’t feel like an exaggeration here. And the journey through the ghats getting to it — It was the reminder that getting there is half the blessing. And as @sreedharelephas always says, there is something very charming and special about this part of the ghats that always beckons you. Grateful for this trip. Grateful for the company. #Kodachadri #SarvajnaPeetom #AdiShankara #WesternGhats #Karnataka

What is it like to dedicate your life to understanding elephants? In this episode of Moving Forests, I am joined by wildlife biologist Dr. Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan, a post-doctoral researcher at the Centre for Conservation and Research whose work spans behavioural ecology, wildlife endocrinology, movement ecology, and the human dimensions of conservation. Having lived among elephants since the age of three, Sreedhar brings rare insight into the emotional, social, and ecological intelligence of Asian elephants. In this episode, we explore: • Fascinating childhood stories that shaped his path • Remarkable facts about elephant behaviour • The reality of human- elephant conflict and practical solutions • Challenges in elephant census and conservation • What the future holds for one of Earth’s most intelligent species If you care about wildlife, conservation, ecology, or the future of our natural world, this conversation is essential listening. Watch the full episode on YouTube. Link in bio!

There are way too many reports (from Sri Lanka) coming on a daily basis of elephants that are affected by trapguns or other gunshot wounds, and pellet injuries, and the ensuing attempts to treat and correct these issues, many of which are often futile. Trapguns are quite common, often targeting wild pigs as I have been told, but incurring collateral damages on elephants. In most cases, the carpal joint area is hit, affecting normal gait of the animal, sometimes even splintering the bones. Some cases may result in wounds that get infected, further resulting in septicaemia and eventually death. Pellets, on the other hand, are purposefully shot at elephants in an attempt to drive them away from agricultural fields or habitations. It is so rampant lately, that when we were studying a group of bull elephants and their usage of croplands, it was even suggested (unfortunately) in a discussion to consider looking at pellet marks to differentiate animals that frequented those areas from the others. Small lumps or abscesses have become a common sight. And in addition to these health issues, use of pellets also alter behaviour that these constant deployment of confrontational techniques makes an animal become more reactive almost always, resulting in human casualties. So, in turn, although it may manage the problem (by instantly chasing elephants) momentarily, it worsens the same over time. Not just in Sri Lanka, but also in India, the use of pellets are more common than one can imagine. This is a video of tusker Sumedha alias Una Dalaya (in our database) from last summer. As you can see in this video, his left forelimb is affected by a gunshot wound, possibly trapgun, and the abnormality in his gait is also evident. For him, his tough times did not just end there that he was hit by a bus while attempting to cross a highway and lost one of his tusks in that accident earlier this year. . . . #asianelephant #elephasmaximus #elephant #🐘 #conservation #challenges #conflict #unscientific #welfare #reactive #habitat #anthropogenic #srilanka #india #forest #management #landscape #natureinfocus #matangalila #animalbehaviour #fieldtales #science #longterm #monitoring #injury

Garbage dumps attract a range of animals owing to the abundance of food items that are rich in nutrients, and high energy sources. From rodents to wild boars to bears and elephants, several species around the globe are known to frequent sites such as these for foraging. It is often easy to view an image or a video like this and jump to conclusions. While it may be counterintuitive, studies indicate that selective feeding by elephants at garbage dumps may not have obvious detrimental impacts on their health. And even if one were to conclude otherwise, rigorous long-term studies are required to ascertain such parameters. What interests/intrigues me, as someone interested and trained in Animal Behaviour, however, in this context is their adaptability. I often come across people making statements or strong opinions about what elephants do and do not do without accounting for this adaptable behaviour. My mantra, every time I talk to people or while delivering a session, has been that you will always see elephants doing the 101st thing the day after you conclude a list of 100 things elephants would do. And anyone who has studied elephants long enough will know not to be conclusive about things without long-term observations. In this video, for instance, one can see elephants feeding from a pile of garbage amidst burning fire, thick smoke, surrounded by a few dogs. And yet we hear thoughts about smoke and fire acting as deterrents. . . . #asianelephant #elephant #animalbehaviour #fieldtales #observation #science #nature #behaviour #adaptability #elephasmaximus #matangalila #research #postdoc #conservation #urbanwildlife #wildlife #waste #garbage #dumpsterfire #animals #potd #🐘 #natureinfocus #throwback #habitat

About 8 years ago, I don’t think I would have even dreamt of getting such wonderful experiences ranging from sudden, exciting field trips, elephant-watching, and learning natural history, to getting hooked to the culture, art and traditional (percussion) art forms of Kerala ! 🐘✨ As I am at the tail end of my PhD journey, I can’t help but reminisce about all these amazing experiences, especially the wilderness ones, which helped/motivated me to do a PhD at the interface of my primary discipline, agriculture, and human dimensions of conservation. And then of course, sometimes even getting left behind by @sreedharelephas when he had to run behind some elephant that’s come into some village ! 😝 The first image was taken minutes before he got a phone call about “Chinna Thambi” reaching a village quite far from the nearest forest boundary and drawing wide attention, while on our way to my aunt’s place. He then went off following the elephant for the next three weeks or so. The second one is the other avatar where we enjoy going to concerts and performances, and using those as excuses to also explore food joints in the process. 😄 Image credits: Slide 3: @ganeshraghunathan Slide 5: @harivaikom . . . #life #partner #companion #travel #explore #nature #elephants #traditionalart #agriculture #research #phdjourney #dairy #mountain #keralatourism #panchavadyam #jobkurian

Over a year and a half in Sri Lanka gave me immense opportunities to follow and observe elephants in a wide range of settings, from well-protected sanctuaries to agricultural fields and periurban areas. In fact, I can confidently say that I saw more elephants outside park boundaries, in agricultural lands, irrigation tanks, and village peripheries. Naturally, there are lots of interactions between elephants and people as is seen in the case of other similar areas where both these protagonists overlap spatiotemporally. There are also interventions such as drives, translocations, fencing etc inorder to manage these issues. But then, there are also some less complex measures that have contributed towards mitigating HEC in parts of Sri Lanka fairly effectively. Am example of those are the village and seasonal fences. My mentor, Dr Fernando, has been working closely with governmental and community organisations to rethink the existing fencing strategy––that of fencing elephants “inside forests” to keep them “out of farmlands and habitations”. Many villages have now adopted the village fencing model (where clusters of houses are fenced and protected) and the temporary/seasonal paddy field fencing model. This video is an example of an area that has such seasonal fences. The land was fenced and protected (through guarding) during the cultivation period, and following the harvest, the fences were removed, materials safely stored to be used during the next cultivation season, and the fallow land with all the residual matter left open. This is then used by elephants, as is seen in the video. Most of the farmers in this region at least, were able to harvest all their crops with bare minimum losses. That evening (when I shot this video), there were 56 elephants in this particular field alone ! Sometimes, it's the simplest of solutions that may go a long way! #rethinkingstrategies #Lessonsfromthefield #elephasmaximus #asianelephant #matangalila #elephant #🐘 #natureinfocus #animalbehaviour #coexistence #observation #science #research #fieldtales #potd #throwback #wednesdaywisdom #srilanka #conservation #rethink #agriculture

🧿 . . . #🌾❤️🐘

Happy birthday, Sree!✨ Your love, support, and unwavering belief in me inspire me to be the best version of myself every single day. Life with you is a beautiful adventure, and I am grateful for the companionship we share. Nothing like having someone who you can talk to about anything. Watching you pour your heart out into your work with such determination admires me. Over three decades with elephants is not a small thing, and I am glad I have got some wonderful moments with elephants in the last seven years. Looking forward to lots of elefantastic times with you. Love you always!♥️🐘 Image 1: @sreedharelephas in his elements Image 2: At Anamalais with dear friends and mentors, Jenny and Pruthu

Camera traps are extremely useful tools, not just to document individuals, but also to record animal behaviour. They are particularly effectual in areas with dense vegetation. The key to desired results, however, is also identifying the right locations. In this case, we knew of this trail frequented by elephants to access a waterbody, and also to move to cover from the open grasslands, during the hotter hours of the day. I had noticed that this rock had lot of signs of elephants rubbing against it. So, we placed a camera opposite to it, and as expected, got a lot of detections. In one particular instance (couple of days after the camera's placement), as you can see in the video, the elephant comes to scratch itself on the rock, notices the camera, displays alertness, inspects the camera and continues moving. Some of the individuals that followed also repeated this and inspected the camera. On the following days, however, they did not show this behaviour. If you increase the volume, you can hear the scratching against the rock, and also the low frequency rumbles. . . . #asianelephant #elephasmaximus #elephant #elephantbehaviour #animalbehaviour #observation #research #science #nature #wildlife #naturalhistory #cameratrap #denseforest #techforconservation #fieldtales #matangalila #potd #naturephotography #natureinfocus #natgeowild #yourshotphotographer #🐘 #soundon #instagood @iucn_asesg @aane.trumpeting

A newborn calf from one of the herds our team has been monitoring. We saw this one a few months ago, while we were heading back after a day's work, out in the grasslands. We spent close to an hour observing the calf, as it struggled to stand up, falling down and getting up again. In the first picture, one can see the mother trying to lift the calf with her forelimb and in the second one, the calf standing, leaning against. Also note the myna in the first one :) . . . #asianelephant #elephasmaximus #elephants #calf #newborn #animalbehaviour #observation #science #monitoring #research #fieldtales #memories #throwback #naturephotography #igers #potd #playful #natureinfocus #nature #wildlife #natgeowild #earthcapture #bbcearth #elephantgathering #grassland #backwaters #forest @theelephantwhisperers

I was on my routine drive through the park looking for elephants, checking camera traps, and surveying our experimental trial plots, when we stumbled upon this mature adult male in musth, as he was following a young adult female elephant. We ended up following this male and spending the entire morning observing him as he walked through forested patches and grasslands, mostly sticking to trails, covering a few kilometres in a couple of hours, encountering three different groups along the way. Musth males tend to range long and wide in search of potential mates. It was interesting to note how he kept sticking to the trails all along. We would drive about 100m, watch him move to the side to join the group, inspect the females, and then get back to the trail and resume walking. We would then move our vehicle again and stop another 70-80m away when he stops for the next group and so on. There were a few tourist vehicles this morning in the park, and we gave heads up to some of the drivers about this male walking right on the safari trail, and they were able to avoid surprise encounters on blind curves. On a few stretches, I could see him straight behind us and I managed to get a few video clippings, which I have stitched together. One can see the day progressing, Sun getting brighter, and the elephant spraying on himself possibly owing to the sultriness. If you listen carefully to the audio, amidst all the bird calls, you can subtly hear his footsteps too. . . . #asianelephant #elephasmaximus #elephant #elephantbehaviour #animalbehaviour #fieldtales #observation #matangalila #science #research #ethology #wildlife #musth #behaviour #potd #saturday #walking #ranging #natureinfocus #earthcapture #bbcearth #🐘 #forest #grassland #trails @aane.trumpeting @naturein_focus