RUNNER-UP CATEGORY HUMANS AND NATURE
Lakshitha Karunarathna | A Dangerous Addiction

Name: Lakshitha Karunarathna
Picture title: A Dangerous Addiction
Category: Humans and Nature
Nationality: Sri Lanka
Occupation: Even though I spend large amount of time on field as a Wildlife Photographer, I am also a Tea Taster by Profession.

Technical information
Camera: Hasselblad L1D-20c attached to a DJI Mavic 2 Pro Drone
Lens: 28mm f/2.8 Lens
EXIF:  1/400 sec at f4.0 (-2.0 e/v) • ISO 100
Accessories: DJI Mavic 2 Pro Drone

Lakshitha Karunarathna says:

A Sri Lankan elephant scavenging at a waste site in the Eastern district of Ampara serves as a stark visual reminder of the dire consequences of improper waste management practices on an island that is home to about one-tenth of the world’s Asian elephant population. Revered symbols of strength and wisdom, elephants are reduced to foraging through hazardous rubbish, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable waste solutions. Elephants often visit garbage dumps not only for easy meals but also to find a substantial amount of starchy items that they enjoy once accustomed to the taste.

The chaotic and erratic handling of waste in Sri Lanka has resulted in serious and catastrophic environmental problems. Numerous verified accounts exist of elephant deaths caused by the ingestion of microplastics and polythene, which the animals mistake for food at disposal sites. Over the last decade, there has been a sharp increase in such cases, significantly impacting the survival of the Sri Lankan subspecies of elephants, which are classified as ‘Endangered.’ They are already experiencing a rapid population decline due to poaching for ivory, conflicts with humans over property and crop destruction, electrocutions from illegal fencing, and the pressures of an expanding human population demanding land.

I began documenting the adverse impacts of the massive waste sites in the Eastern Province on elephants approximately two years ago. The choice of subject is significant, as Sri Lanka is one of the most important habitats for Asian elephants. With more than 10% of the global Asian elephant population living in less than 2% of the known elephant range, Sri Lanka has the highest density of elephants among range countries.

In my photo-documentation efforts, I have utilized various techniques and equipment, including drones, action cameras, camera traps, remote triggers, and even simple mobile hides, allowing me to get close to the large herds of wild elephants that feast on fresh garbage almost every day. As a firm believer in the importance of photography in conservation, my ultimate goal is to capture the attention of authorities and the general public by publicizing my photo stories, thereby pressuring officials to adopt better waste management practices, beginning with relocating larger dumping sites away from significant forested areas.