The 49th baby elephant born at the Pinnawala Orphanage

Hilary Rajakarunanayake, Asian Tribune Editor in Sri Lanka

Colombo, 07 May, (Asiantribune.com): The 49th baby elephantBaby elephant being fed (File Photo) was born in the night of 5th May at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, in Sri Lanka. This female baby elephant was born to the She-elephant Lasanda.

The orphanage in Pinnawala, Sri Lanka is considered the best elephant orphanage in the whole of Asia. It is a place for abandoned and wounded elephants to recover. A large herd of elephants can be seen at close range when the orphanage opens daily for visitors. The trek down to the nearby river is a major attraction to tourists.

Sri Lanka, known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean is an island situated close to the south coast of India. Among the many things it is famous for are its sun drenched golden beaches, precious gems and tea. A new attraction is the elephant orphanage at Pinnawala.

The elephant orphanage was started in 1975 by the Wildlife Department of Sri Lanka on a twenty five acre coconut land near a river known as Ma Oya. The Objective was to provide a shelter for abandoned, stranded and wounded elephants; a place where they will be fed and cared for before resettlement.

Located in the district of Kegalle, in the province of Sabaragamuwa it is about eighty seven kilometers from the capital Colombo. To reach Pinnawala by road from Colombo, one has to travel along the Colombo-Kandy highway, and near the eighty second milepost, turn towards the village Rambukkana. If traveling by train one has to get down at the Rambukkana railway station and it is about two kilometers from there.

Unlike in the continent of Africa poaching is not a major problem in Sri Lanka as there are not many elephants with tusks in the forests of Sri Lanka; though it does occur once in a way. The threat to these magnificent beasts springs from the man-beast conflict that occurs when their homelands are gradually taken away for settlement and cultivation. Many elephants are injured in this man-beast battle.

Elephants taking bath in the Ma OyaIn recent times due to the ethnic warfare in North and East Sri Lanka, several elephants have been shot by the LTTE cadres straying into the jungles for hiding and for their terrorist operations. In 1978 the elephant orphanage was taken over by the National Zoological gardens of Sri Lanka and the captive breeding programme was initiated in 1982. At present there are eighty six elephants being cared for by mahouts at this orphanage, ranging from babies to adults. There are no fences or barbed wire closures; they roam freely only going into individual stalls at night. Infrequently chains are used to control aggressive behavior during the mating season.

The place is open from eight thirty am to four pm for visitors. The daily routine starts at eight am when they are taken out of their stalls and are allowed to graze for about two hours. At ten thirty they are taken to the nearby river known as Ma Oya. The elephants walking in single file obediently along the gravel pathway to the river are a spectacular sight indeed. They enjoy playing and splashing in the water which they need to cool their bodies. They also lie down in the water and allow mahouts to scrub their bodies. It is time to go back for lunch at 1.30 in the afternoon.

The larger elephants are fed with native greens like coconut palms, jackfruit tree leaves and kitul tree logs. They consume about seventy six kilos of greens and a two kilo mixture containing rice and bran each day. It is indeed a very touching sight to see the baby elephants come running for their milk and are bottle fed with milk drooling from either side of their mouths. At two pm they go back to the river and come home around four pm.

Of the eighty six elephants at the orphanage, Raja is blind. He was blinded by a gunshot injury. Sama has had one leg traumatically amputated following a landmine blast injury. Attempts to fix her with an artificial limb were refused by her, and also it is a difficult process as she is still growing and will need many adjustments.

Up to date forty nine elephants have been born in captivity. The first parents were twenty one and twenty year old Wijaya and Kumari respectively in 1989. Wijaya died from a tumor in the brain in 1999.

Of the elephants rehabilitated as well as born in captivity here, some have been relocated in wildlife parks in Sri Lanka; some have been gifted to temples around the country. There are also others who are now in foreign lands, for example in Calgary, San Diego and Beijing zoos. Parting is always sad for the elephants as well as for the mahouts who looked after them. Some elephants have died due to illnesses like tumors, heart attacks and due to injuries they had sustained when found. Of two babies, one was still born and another was killed by its mother.

These lovable giants are seen by hundreds of visitors each day. There is pin drop silence once the elephants start walking to the river except for the clicks of the cameras. The elephants seem oblivious to all these and no one has ever gone on rampage there up to date.

Next time you plan your overseas vacation, the Pinnawela Elephant orphanage no doubt will top the list of places well worth a visit in Sri Lanka.

- Asian Tribune -