The Sri Lankan elephant is a subspecies of the Asian elephant that is found natively in Sri Lanka. Since 1986, the genus elephas maximus has been classified as ndangered by the IUCN, as their population has decreased by 50% over the past three generations. They are most threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation. During the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, several elephants were killed or maimed by land mines. Between 1990 and 1994, a total of 261 elephants died either as a result of gunshot wounds, or were killed by poachers and land mines.