Photographing Sri Lanka’s human-elephant conflict — Interview with Federico Borella

COLOMBO – Italian photographer Federico Borella is on a mission to capture the intricate human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka through his lens. Over the past four years, Borella has dedicated himself to documenting the conflict, but also the profound relationship between humans and elephants in the country. Borella remarks, "I have witnessed a sense of reverence towards elephants, and even after suffering losses due to elephant attacks, people often exhibit kindness towards them."

For Borella, this project extends beyond just photographing elephants in Sri Lanka, it's about illustrating the evolving relationship between humans and nature globally. In recognition of his efforts, Borella was awarded the prestigious Picture of the Year International (POYi) award in the environmental category for his work in 2024.

Earlier, he had also won the top award in the documentary category at the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards for his Five Degrees project, illustrating the grim connection between climate change, drought, and farmer suicides in South India. In 2022, Borella secured the second position in the wildlife and nature category at the Sony World Photography Award for his series "Exotic appetite: Inside the Italian exotic animal trade". In the 2026 awards, Borella secured the third place.