Authorities are hoping to to slow population growth and curb conflict with humans

Thailand will begin giving birth control to a small number of wild female elephants this year, as the country struggles with the growing problem of human-elephant conflict.

Asian elephants have been classified as endangered since 1986. But Thai authorities say that conservation efforts mean the country’s population is growing at a rate of 8% each year, overwhelming its depleted forests. This has caused the animals to increasingly stray into nearby populated areas, causing damage to farmland, homes and even deaths.