Feeding of wild Asian elephants at the Udawalawe National Park perimeter electric fence by the general public is longstanding. We monitored the elephants and feeding activities, and conducted questionnaire surveys of stakeholders. Over 50 individual adult male elephants engaged in the activity. The exclusive male presence was consistent with a high-risk high-gain male strategy. The elephants were mostly offered fruits and vegetables. Over a thousand people a day watched and fed the elephants. Most people bought food for elephants from roadside stalls and vendors had significantly more sales if elephants were present. The feeding of elephants brought significant economic benefit to communities bordering the park. We found the impacts of feeding on the elephants and environment to be largely neutral. Impacts on people and conservation were mainly positive. Actions taken by authorities to stop the feeding have targeted the elephants and resulted in the decrease of feeding but not its elimination. Managing the activity instead would help increase economic benefits and ensure safe interaction between people and elephants. Such management, by directly benefitting local communities, could make them partners in the conservation process and form the basis of an effective outreach program.

普通民众在Udawalawe国家公园周边的电围栏喂养野生亚洲象已有很长时间。我们监测了大象和喂养活动，并对利益相关者进行了问卷调查。超过50只成年雄性大象参加了这项活动。男性的独占存在与高风险，高收益的男性策略一致。大象大多被提供水果和蔬菜。每天有一千多人观看和喂养大象。大多数人从路边摊上购买大象的食物，如果有大象的话，摊贩的销售就大得多。喂养大象给公园附近的社区带来了巨大的经济利益。我们发现进食对大象和环境的影响在很大程度上是中性的。对人类和自然保护的影响主要是积极的。当局采取的停止进食的行动以大象为目标，导致进食减少但没有消除。相反，管理活动将有助于增加经济利益，并确保人与大象之间的安全互动。通过直接使当地社区受益，这种管理可以使他们成为保护过程的伙伴，并成为有效宣传计划的基础。