One man's mission to end human-elephant conflict in his homeland.
With an unprecedented view of the plight of threatened villagers and their massive, majestic foes — the Asian elephant — The Linesman brings us to truly understand both sides of this deadly struggle.
Set in the rural landscape of Myanmar, the film illustrates how decades of massive deforestation, the loss of critical habitat, and the rise in elephant poaching for ivory and skin have driven elephants to desperate measures to survive. In the search for food and safety, they invade nearby villages, destroying essential crops and posing a lethal risk to villagers. To protect their livelihoods and their loved ones, some villages have resorted to calling in poachers to stop the elephants — destruction on both sides, with results that demand a search for solutions.
The Linesman is a 30-minute documentary produced by The Elephant Project that explores the root causes of human-elephant conflict and highlights the efforts of conservationist U Khin Maung Gyi to restore peace and balance between these two vital communities.
Habitat loss and population growth are forcing elephants and people into collision.
Population growth
Poaching for ivory and skin is a serious and growing problem in Asia — but so is the rise in deadly human-elephant conflict, particularly in areas of rapid human population growth across India and Southeast Asia. As more people settle near elephant habitats and ranges, dangerous conflict becomes inevitable.
Deforestation
Extensive deforestation has also driven habitat loss. For decades, the worldwide trade in exotic woods harvested across Asia has decimated vital forests. Although many countries in the region have begun to limit their timber trade, illegal logging continues, causing the rapid loss of elephants' natural habitat.
In response, elephants have been driven to desperate measures to survive — raiding crops near villages, destroying the income and sustenance villagers depend on. These conflicts stir resentment and have led some villagers to engage poachers to kill them. Innovative, humane solutions are needed to protect both sides of this crisis — solutions The Elephant Project is committed to finding and implementing.
Three areas of focus to end the conflict.
Education
Provide villagers with alternatives — non-lethal methods of mitigating human-elephant conflict.
Fencing
Fund the construction of fencing and other barriers to separate humans and elephants.
Relocation
Relocate elephants in high-conflict areas to safe zones where they can live undisturbed.
Donate
A tax-deductible gift helps fund U Khin's fence-building efforts, brings The Linesman to more people, and helps implement our other solutions.
Support Our EffortsEducate
Spread the word to friends, family, and neighbors. Only through education can we end human-elephant conflict.
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