Endangered Elephants & Conservation in Sri Lanka

Yala & National Parks, Elephant Volunteer Schemes, Kandy Festival

Jul 6, 2009

Asian elephants have long been a Sinhalese symbol and although numbers have greatly dwindled, conservationists are determined to ensure their survival.

First recorded on the island in 200BC, Sri Lanka’s elephants came from India. The largest of the Asian subspecies, maximus maximus were decimated by ivory hunting in the days of the British Raj. Now only a few thousands roam in national parks such as Yala. Those orphaned or injured are cared for in Udawalawe or Pinnawela orphanage where volunteers are welcome to help.

The greatest danger still comes from humans, farmers fearing for their crops, chemicals spread on fields, electricity cables and until recently, civil war. Sri Lankan elephants feed on grasses, fruit and palm fronds, and can reach nearly 40 km an hour for a short distance.

Minneriya and Yala National Parks, Asian Elephants and Conservation in Sri Lanka

Yala is Sri lanka's largest national park, covering roughly 1000 km² across the dry zone in the south east of the island. Park and scrubland offer relatively easy viewing and safaris are available but only a relatively small section of the park is open to the public. Dawn and dusk are the best times to spot elephants and other wildlife.

To see large numbers of Asian elephants, the best place is Lake Minneriya in the northern central province around August-September time. Driven by drought, hundreds make their way to the reservoir in search of water and food. It’s the biggest gathering of its kind in Asia and a great opportunity for visitors and conservationists to observe the herds, led by females, and their social behaviour, from mating to caring for the young.

Endangered Elephants, Udawalawe Volunteer Scheme and Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage

Besides national parks and reserves, conservation efforts include educating farmers, encouraging the profitable collection of dung to make paper and caring for orphaned and injured animals.

The Udawalawe National Park boasts a transit home where endangered elephants are rehabilitated before being released in the wild. The work is supported by an elephant foster scheme. Volunteer sponsors enjoy a number of benefits, such as naming and setting free their own elephant, in exchange for monthly donations.

The Pinnawela Orphanage near Kegalle looks after around 60 elephants, some born in captivity. Visitors can watch feeding time and the ritual bath with much splashing and frolicking in the Maha Oya river. The scheme is partly financed by entry fees, any help is welcome.

The ancient Sinhalese kings regarded elephants as an important symbol and any killing was punishable by death. Elephants remained part of Sinhalese heraldry right through the colonial era and still appear on many coats of arms. Statues and images adorn numerous temples and elephants play a major role in the island’s religious festivals, tame but protected.

Most spectacular is the Kandy perehara held during the summer full moon. It lasts ten to twelve days with flamboyant processions of caparisoned elephants, drummers, dancers, acrobats and more. On the last night, festivities culminate in a torch lit procession when a casket, similar to the one holding the Buddha’s tooth in the temple, is paraded on the back of an elephant.

The copyright of the article Endangered Elephants & Conservation in Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka Travel is owned by Solange Hando. Permission to republish Endangered Elephants & Conservation in Sri Lanka in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.