The Hindu Business Line : A model elephant orphanage

Recently in Pinnawala (Sri Lanka) Watching elephants can be amusing. Their gestures and movements can keep one enthralled for hours on end. As we were thinking so on a cloudy afternoon in the Pinnawala Elephant orphanage, Sri Lanka, a baby elephant in the herd suddenly ran towards us playfully nodding his head. Elders behind him, including his parents, were watching the baby play in the rain. But, we were a bit scared.

They were 82 in number, in the age group of three months to 90 years. They are of Sri Lankan sub-species, Elephas maximus (Asian elephants), orphanage officials said.

For the public in Kerala, who have seen the captive elephants only in shackles, and driven and controlled by at least two mahouts per elephant, it was surprising to see 82 elephants (40 males and 42 females) in captivity controlled by just 35 mahouts. “They are friendly, they follow our commands (in a typical dialect) obediently, we don’t have to beat them or stab them,” said two of the mahouts.

“We have 25 acres of land here and it has been transformed, albeit in a limited way, into a wild environment. Of the area, 12 acres are under grass. The pachyderms are free to move around during the day”. Every day the animals are taken to the River Mahaweli for a two-hour bath. “In the evening, they are taken to the shelters where the adults are given palm leaves, mainly coconut leaves, while the baby elephants are given milk,” said Chanana Rajapakse, veterinary surgeon of the orphanage. In the orphanage there is shortage of food, and hence, it is brought from outside daily. The total maintenance expenses comes to SLRs 75,000 a day, he said. With the daily income from the visiting tourists for sustenance. Foreign tourists are charged Rs 500 for entry, while the local people are charged Rs 250.

“Each animal gets approximately 75 kg of green matter a day, and in addition, each gets 2 kg of a food mixture containing maize, rice bran, powdered gingelly seed and minerals,” he said.

During the “musth” conditions the male elephants are kept in chain for three to six months and are well looked after. The orphanage often seeks the expert guidance of Dr K.C. Panicker, former Professor of Veterinary College of Sciences under the Kerala Agriculture University, and Dr Cheeran from Kerala, he said.

According to Anoma Priyadarshini, Assistant Director of the orphanage, “it is a natural breeding centre”. There have been 46 natural births ever since it started functioning in 1984. The latest birth was on August 25, 2007. The baby elephant (male) is named “Vidhula”.

Besides, the orphanage is in the process of conducting artificial insemination of elephants. Veterinary surgeons are being trained in Thailand, the US and Germany, she said, adding that semen collection is easy but its preservation is complex

There are 175 elephants in Sri Lanka owned by private parties. These owners have to register with wildlife conservation department, she said. Their population in the wild is estimated at 4,500 and it is on the increase ever since poaching has been strictly banned.

But many people who take pleasure in the pachyderms’ presence are hardly aware of the trauma these gentle giants undergo in captivity in India, especially in Kerala, Dr Panicker, who is currently the Secretary of the Elephant Protection Society, Thrissur, told Business Line.

“The orphanage in Sri Lanka is a model for others, the elephant owners, mahouts and the public, to emulate. Many here think that since it is an animal, what is being provided is enough,” says Dr Panicker. The animals are not fed or bathed properly. Overwork without sufficient food and water is another burden. Added to this is the physical torture inflicted upon them, he said.

The largest number of elephants kept in captivity is at Punnathur Kotta of the Guruvayur Temple administration. The area in which they are housed is inadequate, Dr Panicker said.

Besides, there has to be a mating yard lest they are deprived of psychological satisfaction, he said. Hence, there should be an orphanage of elephants like the one in Pinnawala, Dr Panicker said.

According to him, elephants are unlike most animals. They are, like human beings and dogs, emotional and sensitive. They like clean premises. If the surface is unclean, they would sleep standing. They drink only clean water and become friendly with those who offer them their favourite food, such as banana and jaggery.

During the festival season, the animals work hard and often for long hours. They are deprived of enough food, water, bathing and rest and are made to walk 40-50 km at a stretch. Such work schedules have to be regulated, says Dr Panicker. Added to this is the lack of trained mahouts who understand the elephants’ behaviour and temperament, and are responsive to their needs. The novices treat the animals ruthlessly and inflict injuries on them. Continuous torture often leads to sickness and subsequent death of the animal.

The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage was started in 1975 by the Department of Wildlife on a 25-acre coconut property on the Maha Oya river at Rambukkana. The orphanage was primarily designed to protect the orphaned baby elephants found in the jungle. When it was set up there were only five baby elephants, and today, it is probably the biggest elephant orphanage in the world.