Insulting animal rights NGOs vs. speaking up for elephants
View(s):Samma Diththi (Right View) is the first of the Noble Eightfold Path that Buddha taught –seeing the world and everything in it as it really is, not as one believes or wants it to be. In Buddha’s words: “My teaching is not a dogma or a doctrine, but no doubt some people will take it as such. I must state clearly that my teaching is a method to experience reality and not reality itself, just as a finger pointing at the moon is not the moon itself. A thinking person makes use of the finger to see the moon. A person who only looks at the finger and mistakes it for the moon will never see the real moon.”
Samma Vaca (Right Speech) is the third – speech that is truthful and devoid of falsehoods, exaggeration, deception, insults, hypocrisy and not idle gossip or rumours.
Elephants are public property. Some keep elephants to gain status; for some it is a lucrative business – hiring and earning massive incomes. Today, some persons are accusing environmental and animal rights NGOs who support law enforcement agencies to investigate unlawful activities relating to these majestic animals,of destroying Buddhist culture. The argument is that with such investigations, elephants are taken into State custody, thus depriving peraheras of sufficient elephants.
Others, including a former Wildlife Director General disagree. Repeating these accusations, a member of the Buddhist clergy, during a recent newspaper interview refers to elephants parading in peraheras from time immemorial and states that environmentalists have raised issues causing problems of finding elephants for pageants,impacting on cultural activities of Buddhist temples. There is no honesty, he says, adding that those living on NGO funding for survival raise these issues.
While the monk wonders why NGOs raise this in relation to peraheras, NGOs wonder whether those making such unfounded allegations against NGOs in general, rather than evidence based accusations, lack the capacity to understand that NGOs are not out to destroy culture, but are only concerned with the unlawful possession of elephants (without registration or on forged permits), trafficking (with calves abducted after slaughtering the mother), commercial use (permit conditions prohibit using elephants for purposes other than religious and cultural activities, but the incumbent Wildlife Minister has stated that temples are engaged in tourism activities, hiring their elephants for rides), horrendous cruelty in some instances of private possession, whether in a temple or somebody’s backyard (all feet shackled with short iron chains causing deep fatal wounds,assaults by intoxicated mahouts, using heated iron rods for taming and training, trekked in sweltering heat, etc.) But, a monk prosecuted for unlawful possession wants elephants excluded from our animal cruelty law!
The interview contains two other comments–that taking elephants in peraheras is not harassment, but dignifies the animal, who is fed properly, taken on carpets and bathed. Co-incidentally, the same newspaper, the same day also reported that Esala Perahera jumbos are in dire need of an elephant bath while representations of mahouts and owners to the authorities to consider this basic need has fallen on deaf ears, for many years. The Cabinet approved “Captive Elephant Welfare Regulations” formulated by the Wildlife Ministry pursuant to a case filed by the Animal Welfare Trust on the ill treatment of elephants, provide standards for diet, health, accommodation, chaining, transport, labour etc., referring also to elephants used in pageants – that no elephant under five years should be used for any purpose, including peraheras, when dressed up for pageants their ears should be left uncovered since heat is released through their ears and in illuminating LED bulbs should be used to prevent electrocution. However, these Regulations are yet to be made operative.
The other comment is that one must be cautious in applying Western concepts in the local context regardless of practical realities. Today there is increasing global recognition that animals are not chattel, but sentient beings, requiring protection from cruelty. But centuries before that, our ancient kings afforded that protection to animals bestowing on our nation, a rich animal-friendly cultural heritage, now sadly, declined. Speaking up for animal welfare should be viewed not as importing Western concepts, but as an endeavour to restore that proud heritage.
The monk insists on opportunities to domesticate elephants for cultural purposes, opining that getting Pinnawela elephants, who are neither tame nor trained, is unsustainable. The government however, is creating a trained pool in Pinnawela for temporary release, a move fully endorsed by NGOs as that will allow elephants to roam unchained in a near natural habitat.
The sesath industry, according to recent reports, is fast dying due to lack of raw material and manpower. If there is a shortage of sesath for peraheras, will NGOs be accused of destroying culture in return for dollars?
Responding to the uninformed querying as to why NGOs are concerned about elephants but not the inhumane slaughter of cows, pigs and chicken or the cruelty in horse and thirikkal racing, regrettably, word constraints, prevent this article detailing the numerous activities of leading NGOs to protect and alleviate the suffering, not only of these animals, but of ALL animals.
In this country, anything unpalatable to the government, opposition or A, B or C, is viewed as an international conspiracy, executed through local NGOs, showered with dollars, to destroy this, that or the other; and when for one’s own gain, an ancient practice is sought to be perpetuated, however obnoxious or unacceptable in modern contexts, the lamest excuse is to market it as a tradition, custom or culture.
Those who preach or practise the Buddha’s teachings in their true spirit, will always view right, speak right and be mindful of the very tenet of Buddhism – compassion to all beings–denounce cruelty to animals and ensure that even when perpetuating a culture, no animal will be exposed to harm and suffering.