Thailand Puts Its Elephants on Birth Control
Wild elephants gather after receiving an elephant contraception vaccine in the Trat province of Thailand, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (Thailand Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation via AP)
Thailand is rolling out a contraceptive vaccine for wild elephants in an effort to reduce deadly clashes between the animals and nearby communities, a problem that has grown as farms expand into forest habitat, reports the Associated Press.
As agricultural land replaces forests in Thailand, elephants are pushed into closer contact with people while searching for food. Government data show that wild elephants killed 30 people and injured 29 last year, alongside more than 2,000 incidents of crop damage.
Sukhee Boonsang, head of the Wildlife Conservation Office, said managing elephant numbers near settlements has become necessary as herds increasingly overlap with residential areas. The agency acquired 25 doses of a contraceptive developed in the United States and first tested it over two years on seven domesticated elephants, using seven doses and seeing encouraging results. In late January, officials administered the vaccine to three wild elephants in eastern Trat province and are now deciding where to deploy the remaining 15 doses.
The vaccine prevents fertilization without stopping ovulation and can block pregnancy for up to seven years; fertility returns if boosters aren’t given. Vaccinated elephants will be closely tracked during that period.
Some conservationists worry the program could conflict with protection efforts. Elephants have deep cultural importance in Thailand, long used in farming and transport and formally recognized as a national symbol.
Sukhee said the campaign is limited to wild herds in regions with the most severe human-elephant conflict. About 800 of the country’s roughly 4,400 wild elephants live in these hotspots, where the annual birth rate is estimated at 8.2%—more than double the national average of about 3.5%. Without intervention, he warned, the danger to nearby communities will continue to escalate.
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