| Plus |
|
|||
|
The
donation of young bull elephants to temples from Pinnawela could
create an imbalance at the orphanage, warn animal activists The issue that is causing concern is the donation of ten elephants from Pinnawela to temples, ostensibly for use in peraheras. The lack of elephants for peraheras was highlighted in the press following the Kandy Esala perahera and efforts were made to remedy this shortage by giving temples their own elephants so that they could then be trained for these special occasions. Currently Pinnawela is home to 63 elephants, including calves and full-grown cow and bull elephants. Twenty two elephants have been born at Pinnawela since its inception, with 64 having been donated to temples, given as state gifts or auctioned to the private sector over the years. However, the recent donation of 10 bull elephants over the last year, has nearly wiped out the 5-10 year age group at Pinnawela. Only one or two remain in this age group, but these too may not be there for long as many requests have been made for them too. Elephants are usually donated to temples either on a request made by the Chief Incumbent or to fulfil a vow. These vows are usually made by politicians before elections. "This is an unfortunate situation as the elephants who are donated are usually the younger males, who require a lot of time and maintenance," says an animal rights activist. Most temples can barely sustain themselves, leave alone look after an elephant. An average elephant at Pinnawela is fed between 230-400kg of a mix of kitul and foliage, whilst a baby requires up to 35 litres of milk a day. In addition, they are all given pellets of vitamins and minerals that make up for the lack of nutrients received from jungle foliage. "It is also the younger males that bring in energy and aggression into the herd," said an animal lover pointing out that their absence will undoubtedly upset the balance at Pinnawela. Elephants at Pinnawela are kept in semi-wild conditions so that if/when the need arises, they can be re-introduced to the wild or used for domestic purposes, says Brig. H.A.N.T. Perera, Director of the Zoo and of Pinnawela Orphanage. It is important to "maintain a balanced collection of genes", he points out for only then can we guarantee that no inbreeding will take place. Unfortunately however, if this trend of haphazardly donating elephants continues, inbreeding is bound to take place, resulting in a rapid drop in the quality of the herd, he says. The depletion of the herd would not only affect the breeding process and the herd, but Pinnawela's tourist appeal as well. This could have huge adverse effects in the long run, Brigadier Perera adds. Of the three tuskers at Pinnawela only one can be used for breeding purposes. Only 5-7% of the male elephant population are tuskers, of which 19 are in captivity, he says. When an elephant is removed from the herd, the psychological impact is felt both by the herd and the individual elephant. Come feed time, all the mahouts/caretakers appear, carrying buckets of milk for their eager young charges. In the midst of all the bustle, you can hear the mahouts threatening that they will not feed them, unless they behave themselves. The bond between the mahouts and the elephants is heart warming, almost like parent and child. *Wijesiri (name changed) who has worked at Pinnawela for the past 20 years, says, "They are practically like my own children." "That's why it's so difficult and frustrating to see them being given away at random, after all our years of hard work." Animal lovers are concerned about the conditions the elephants are kept in when they leave Pinnawela. They are made to do heavy labour, go from one perahera to another, or take tourists for rides in the scorching sun. This drastic change in lifestyle could affect the wellbeing of an elephant considerably. According to the Minister of Buddha Sasana, W.J.M. Lokubandara, when the ministry makes a recommendation for an elephant to be donated to a temple, they conduct a thorough inquiry as to whether the temple really needs an elephant, if they can afford to maintain it and if they have regular peraheras etc. However of late,
these stringent rules seem not to have been followed. The Ministry
was not aware of the recent donations of elephants. Officials said
they can take action only if they are notified of such a request.
However, activists point out that an inquiry should be conducted
prior to a donation rather than after and suggest that Ministry
officials should also make surprise visits to temples to check if
elephants are actually on the premises, rather than being looked
after by another on behalf of the temple. A balance must be struck between the upholding of our country's age-old traditions and maintaining the Pinnawela herd. Authorities need to wake up and take notice of this issue. From
Pinnawela Pageant-jumbos
in the making It may take at least 10 years as a plot of land (approximately 50 acres) is needed and elephants have to be found and trained etc. The plan is to have 20-30 trained elephants that will be loaned for peraheras and then returned to the centre. The elephants would be taken from Pinnawela and a few got from India. The decision to start a training centre came in response to the huge demand from temples (1000 applications for elephants are piled up at the Department of Buddhist Affairs). "Once the Cabinet paper was passed, it was decided that 10 elephants would be identified and given to suitable applicants. Six have been donated so far and once the balance four are given, no more elephants will be given to anyone by the Government," the Minister said. |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved. |
The
Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage has been a haven for nature's 'gentle
giants' for nearly three decades now. But animal rights activists
are warning that the future of Pinnawela could well be at stake.
