Heartbreaking photographs that have been shared with us on the internet shows elephants searching for food on top of a massive garbage dump in Sri Lanka.

The pictures that were shared with the public have officially won the top prize in the Royal Society of Biology’s Photography competition.

The pictures were taken by Tilaxan Tharmapalan at a plastic at a refuse facility in Oluvil, Sri Lanka.

It shows a herd of hungry elephants scavaging for food amongst the top of a massive garbage dump in Sri Lanka.

It is reported that the dump is placed near the natural habitat of the herd in the jungles in the eastern province, which borders the Ampara District’s forest area.

Due to an increase in waste, the dump and waste have reached closer to the forest.

Elephants ended up being attracted to it because of their constant search for food.

In a blog post Tilaxan wrote, he said:

In the eastern province, a herd of wild elephants have picked up a peculiar – and sad – habit: since of late, these elephants have been seen foraging for food in garbage dumps. One garbage dump – situated near an area near known as ‘Ashraf Nagar’ close to the forest bordering the Oluvil-Pallakadu area in the Ampara district – is considered the cause of this new, destructive and unhealthy habit. The herd of wild elephants – numbering about 25-30 – now accustomed to feeding so close to human habitat have also begun to invade nearby paddy fields and villages seeking more food adding more tension to the already fraught relationship between the villagers and the wild animals.

Animals that are found dead in the area get their bodies autopsied.

Results show that plastic products along with polythene are found inside the stomach of the animals.

Talking about the fact that there are a lot of animals dying, he said:

The frequency of elephant casualties is a call to all stakeholders to unite and arrive at a solution that will resolve this issue as soon as possible.

Tilaxan says that numerous talks with authorities to come up with a solution to the problem, no one came to help them out and the elephants that are present in the area.

The photo that he took won £1,000.

What are your thoughts about these heartbreaking photographs? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment in the comments section below!