Exploring the science of Asian elephants: Interview with Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel

Nepali researcher Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel explores Asian elephant physiology and behavior in response to ecological challenges, emphasizing the importance of context and experience in understanding elephants.She underlines the need for cross-border cooperation and learning between Nepal and India to understand the behavior of the animals and to minimize negative interactions.She says future research needs to delve into zoonotic diseases and climate change impacts to prevent the extinction of Asian elephants and improve conservation strategies.

KATHMANDU — Asian elephants traverse vast distances, ingesting things they encounter as they retrace the ancient paths their ancestors followed. In doing so, they alter landscapes, create habitats, and earn the title of “nature’s engineers.”

Across the 13 countries in which they’re found today, these giants — among the last remaining megaherbivores — experience immense stress due to various threats. The historical routes of these Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), known for their remarkable cognitive abilities and sophisticated communication skills, face disruptions due to rapid urbanization and expansion of agriculture.

Human persecution, negative interactions with farmland, cross-boundary movements, and infrastructure development all take a heavy toll on an animal that spends 14 to 19 hours daily consuming up to 150 kilograms (330 pounds) of food.

Despite their ecological significance, much remains unknown about elephant behavior, internal physiology, and how hormones and environmental stresses influence them. This is where Nepali researcher Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel steps in. A post-doctoral fellow at Kyoto University in Japan, Pokharel investigates how elephants adapt physiologically to ecological, climatic and anthropogenic challenges.

Pokharel, a member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group at the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, has conducted pioneering research into stress physiology in elephants in India, particularly in Karnataka and Bengalstates. The findings of her research, which involved analyzing elephant dung, highlight the importance of context, experience and personality in understanding elephants, stressing that results from one study cannot be universally applied.

Mongabay’s Abhaya Raj Joshi recently met Pokharel in Kathmandu to discuss her research and its relevance to Nepal. The following interview has been translated from Nepali and edited for clarity.

Researcher Sanjeeta Sharma Pokhara collecting elephant dung in Karnataka, India. Image courtesy of Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel

Mongabay: What can Nepal learn from India when it comes to understanding and saving elephants?

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel: The landscape and situations differ. India, being a large country, isn’t homogenous — attitudes toward elephants and tolerance levels vary across regions. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Each landscape presents unique challenges.

I can’t speak much about management since it’s not my domain, but from a scientific perspective, India is progressing faster. Researchers there are delving into physiology, behavior, genetics, and even cognition. In Nepal, we’re not quite there yet. Researchers like Ashok Ram are making strides, focusing on habitat and conflict, but there’s still a significant research gap.

In India, long-term monitoring has been ongoing since the ’80s, with various research stations across the country. This made my research easier. I analyzed stress hormone markers in elephant dung to study their responses in different environments, from wild areas to human-dominated landscapes.

In India, the forest department collaborates closely with researchers, identifying elephant corridors and implementing science-based policies. Unfortunately, this level of collaboration and policymaking hasn’t happened in Nepal yet.

Researcher Sanjeeta Sharma Pokhara with field staff in West Bengal, India. Image courtesy of Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel

Mongabay: Now for the reverse question: What can India learn from Nepal?

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel: Nepal is home to a few hundred elephants, most of which are migratory, while India has more than 30,000. Given the vast differences in landscape and elephant population sizes, I’d reframe the question to explore opportunities for cross-boundary cooperation between the two countries.

Nepal, being smaller with fewer elephants, can serve as a testing ground for pilot projects. By improving connectivity, we can assess long-term survival and reproduction benefits for elephants. Since Nepal’s areas are smaller, measuring the results of new conservation measures becomes more manageable. This can provide valuable insights that India might scale up for broader application.

Mongabay: What are the reasons why things happening in India are not happening in Nepal?

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel: Most research in Nepal is driven by grants and funding. I’d love to see more curiosity-driven research. In India, we had courses on scientific thinking that encouraged using curiosity to find research questions. In Nepal, students have fewer opportunities to use their imagination and creativity. In India, this environment allowed me to examine elephant physiology from new perspectives and explore uncharted areas.

Mongabay: In Nepal, the focus is on linking science to conservation. What are your thoughts on this?

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel: While it’s important to link science to conservation, this approach can put undue pressure on researchers to produce immediate results. We need to inspire young researchers to pursue studies that contribute to science itself, not just conservation. This balance can lead to more innovative and impactful discoveries.

Researcher Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel tracking elephants in Nagarhole, India. Image courtesy of Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel

Mongabay: Let’s discuss the transboundary movement of elephants between India and Nepal and the issue of fencing, particularly in eastern Nepal. What’s your take on this?

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel: Most wild elephants in Nepal are migratory, visiting seasonally rather than residing permanently. Fencing their traditional paths isn’t a good idea. It might offer a temporary fix, but it just shifts the problem elsewhere. Elephants need to move freely; confinement isn’t an option for them.

Elephants are incredibly clever. They’ve been observed using their tusks, which don’t conduct electricity, to bypass electrified fencing. They quickly adapt and change their behavior. Instead of fencing off the elephants, we should consider fencing off communities and homes, though we don’t have enough data to confirm its effectiveness.

This underscores the need to understand the basic behavior and biology of elephants. For instance, some people ask about “mad” elephants that harm people, but even local communities often don’t understand the musth phase in male elephants during mating season [when they become overly aggressive due to a testosterone spike].

At a transboundary level, cooperation is essential. Governments need to collaborate, raise awareness among people, and recognize that fencing isn’t a viable long-term solution.

Mongabay: How can a better understanding of the basic biology and behavior of elephants help mitigate negative interactions?

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel: Scientific understanding can help us track elephant movements, monitor reproduction, and implement early-warning systems. Educating people about safe practices — such as avoiding alcohol, using flashlights at night, and not aggravating elephants — can reduce conflicts. We need to adjust human behavior to align with elephant behavior. Providing timely compensation for damages can prevent negative feelings toward elephants, and recognizing that their behavior is predictable can help people avoid danger by staying out of their way.

Mongabay: Does this mean we also need to study human behavior along with elephant behavior?

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel: Initially, I planned to study both, but my professor advised that it was too ambitious. Additionally, obtaining permits for hormonal measurements in humans is challenging. However, we can study human behavior around elephants and identify ways to change it to reduce negative interactions. Understanding and adapting human actions based on elephant behavior can significantly decrease conflicts.

Researcher Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel collecting elephant dung in West Bengal, India. Image courtesy of Sanjeet Sharma Pokharel

Mongabay: Is there any relation between stress levels and negative interactions? Are negative interactions more likely when an elephant is under stress?

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel: I wish we knew that for sure, but currently we don’t have definitive evidence linking stress hormone levels to aggression in elephants. Just like with humans, elephants may respond to stress in various ways — some might become aggressive, while others might flee, hide, or remain still. This variability in stress responses likely exists in elephants as well.

Mongabay: As a researcher, do you believe that keeping stress levels low is important for improving quality of life and reproductive success?

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel: Absolutely. Just as low stress levels are crucial for human well-being, the same applies to elephants. Measuring stress levels can also gauge the effectiveness of conservation initiatives. If stress levels remain stable or decrease, it indicates success; if they rise, it signals a need for reassessment. This approach helps ensure that conservation efforts are truly benefiting elephant populations.

Mongabay: What’s next for your research interest?

Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel: The two crucial issues for elephants are the long-term viability of their population and their reproductive success. These factors are essential to prevent their extinction. Several areas need more exploration, such as zoonotic diseases and the impact of climate change. Although some work has been done on tuberculosis in captive elephants, it’s quite limited.

To study an entire generation of elephants, one would need to live over 200 years, which isn’t feasible. So, I look at past studies retrospectively. We’ve also used hair strands from elephants’ tails to understand their stress responses, but this method only covers the past two to three years.

I’m interested in venturing into paleoecology to examine fossilized records of elephants’ ancestors. This could provide insights into what led to their extinction, helping us prevent a similar fate for Asian elephants. Additionally, we are planning research projects across Southeast Asia and Nepal. Hopefully, this will give physiology and behavior research a much-needed start in Nepal.

Abhaya Raj Joshi is a staff writer for Nepal at Mongabay. Find him on 𝕏 @arj272.

Banner Image: Asian elephants photographed in Sri Lanka. Image by Rhett A. Butler / Mongabay

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Asia, India, Nepal, South Asia

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