In an effort to control the increasing population of wild elephants, Thailand has made an unprecedented move.
On Wednesday, January 28, a conservation official shared that the country has given a contraceptive vaccine to wild elephants for the first time ever.
Sukhee Boonsang, a director of the Wildlife Conservation Office, revealed that shots were given to three female elephants in southeastern Trat province on Monday amid the rise in birth rate.
It was revealed that the elephant birth rate in five provinces of eastern Thailand jumps around eight per cent yearly compared to three per cent seen in other regions.
Veterinarians and officials administered the vaccines using a dart gun without anaesthesia, and another 15 doses will be used on elephants in other herds in Thailand before this year's rainy season starts in May.
Wild elephant numbers in Thailand rose from 334 in 2015 to almost 800 last year, with thousands more in captivity.
The increasing population has also caused some conflict with humans, as almost 200 human fatalities and around 100 elephant deaths have been reported since 2012.
Moreover, Asian elephants, Thailand's national animal, are classified as endangered globally by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
