April 2020 | SMITHSONIAN 71lars so they can map their movements via satellite.
Half a century ago, the problem Eisenberg out-
lined was the rapid decline of Asian elephants. The
country’s wild population had plummeted from
40,000 at the beginning of the European colonial pe-
riod in the 1500s to fewer than 3,000 in the late 20th
century, largely because of coff ee and tea farming.
But Eisenberg reported that the situation was look-
ing more promising. Elephants were being bred in
captivity and the government was committing more
land and water to wild elephant herds.
Today, while the Asian elephant is still listed as an
endangered species, its numbers appear to be rising
in some regions. By 2011, the elephant population in
Sri Lanka was back up to nearly 6,000, according to a
census conducted at watering holes. The bigger prob-
lem is that the human population has also increased.
Sri Lanka, at 25,000 square miles, is about the sizeOur ability to match wits with elephants might
be our best hope for helping them survive.