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\n By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI with AP\n<\/p>\n
\n Published on
\n 13\/02\/2026 – 16:17 GMT+1\n <\/p>\n
Thailand is using a birth control vaccine on elephants in the wild to try and curb a growing problem where human and animal populations encroach on each other.<\/p>\n
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It’s an issue in areas where farms spread into forests, meaning elephants<\/a> are squeezed out of their natural habitat.<\/p>\n The initiative is part of efforts to address confrontations that can turn deadly. As farmers cut down forests to make more farmland, elephants are forced to venture out of their shrinking habitats in search of food. <\/p>\n Last year, wild elephants killed 30 people and injured 29 in Thailand, according to official figures, which also noted more than 2,000 incidents of elephants damaging crops.<\/p>\n Sukhee Boonsang, director of the Wildlife Conservation Office, recently told news agency AP that controlling the wild elephant population has become necessary as numbers of elephants living near residential areas rises sharply, increasing the risk of confrontations.<\/p>\n Thailand’s elephant issue: Is birth control the solution?<\/p>\n The office obtained 25 doses of a US-made vaccine and conducted a two-year trial on seven domesticated elephants – using up seven doses of the vaccine – which yielded promising results. Boonsang says that the vaccine doesn\u2019t stop female elephants from ovulating but prevents eggs from being fertilised.<\/p>\n Then, in late January, the vaccine was administered to three wild elephants in eastern Trat province, he explains, adding that authorities are now determining which areas to target next as they prepare to use up the remaining 15 doses. <\/p>\n The vaccine can prevent pregnancy for seven years and the elephants will be able to reproduce again if they don\u2019t receive a booster after that time expires. Experts will closely monitor the vaccinated elephants throughout the seven-year period.<\/p>\n ‘Undermining’ conservation efforts<\/p>\n