THE ELEPHANT IN SRI LANKA Part 12
Posted on October 7th, 2021

KAMALIKA PIERIS

revised 12.10.21

Certain elephant NGOs have focused exclusively on the perahera elephant. It was reported in 2044 that the donation of mature male elephants to selected temples had met with loud protests from NGOs.

Ven. Deranagama Kusaladamma of Sri Sambodhi vihara, Colombo said the Viharaya has been prevented from holding its seventh annual Perahera in 2016 because NGOs and a recently appointed Director General of the Wildlife Department were taking action to   prevent the Perahera activities of the temples.

Buddhists responded. Several foreign funded NGOs in Sri Lanka are trying to discourage the Perahera tradition in temples while masquerading as protectors of elephants,” they said. It is a sinister, politically motivated move’ by several NGOs, masquerading as protectors of elephants.

There is an open  campaign to obstruct the Kandy Esala Perahera on the grounds of violation of animal rights and harassment of elephants taking part. This is yet another indication of the deep animosity towards Buddhism harbored by non-Buddhists in Sri Lanka. But this is the first time that peraheras, specially, the Esala Perahera has been targeted.

Ven. Bellanwila Wimalaratne said that NGOs protest anything that forms part of our cultural tradition. The perahera culture is an integral part of the Sinhala Buddhist heritage and it could not be terminated just because animal rights are against using elephants in procession.  Those who claim to defend the rights of elephants do nothing for the welfare of these animals. They have not spent a cent to feed them. The NGOs are not interested in protecting the fowls, pigs and cows that are killed each day. Why don’t they resist sale of cattle for slaughter, also horses used in racing.

Elephants in this country have been well looked after and cared for by the Buddhist monks for many centuries before the NGOs came here with their foreign funds, the Sangha said.  From ancient  times,  Heads of State have gifted elephants to temples. Myanmar, Burma and Thailand have also  gifted  elephants to temples as diplomatic  gesture.. John Amaratunga, Minister for Christian affairs ,gifted a baby elephant to Purana vihara of Hendala in 2003 to mark his 25 years in politics. Buddhist temples have traditionally looked after the  baby elephants gifted to them. . 

Currently, there are around 150 domesticated elephants in Sri Lanka. A practical programme  has been implemented to look into the welfare of domesticated elephants,” said Tamed Elephant Owners Association President Nilanga Dela in 2021. It is only the elephant owners who know about these methods and not animal rights activists.

Removing elephants from  ‘peraheras’  did not  turn out the way the NGOs hoped. In 2016, The Cabinet    decided to withdraw its ban on the adoption of baby elephants. Cabinet granted approval for the adoption of baby elephants by individuals and religious places under specific conditions. They could be used in Perahera and religious processions. Individuals wishing to adopt an elephant will have to pay  10 million rupees while temples will get them for free.

The temple authorities now find it impossible to fill a perahera by collecting elephants from all over. Those elephants are no  more. It was now necessary to create a pool of  trained elephant  in a single location, to be used for this once a year walk. This is clearly an activity which must come under the Maha Sangha.

This idea had been  discussed by the Diyawadana Nilame in the 1990s. It was planned to breed and train elephants that belonged to the Maligawa, other temples and private owners on land provided by the Maligawa. 3 years were needed to train an elephant or a tusker to take part in a perahera.

The land for such a project should not be less than 100 acres and should have diverse terrain and good soil, allowing a natural environment for these elephants. There should be large trees to provide shade and a stream or a river close by. There would be a need to create grasslands as fodder and an unproductive farmland will be the ideal, said experts. the project did not materialize.  If they had launched the project as planned in the 1990s by now there would have been an adequate number of elephants they said.

A cabinet paper was  drafted in 2004 where it was suggested that male tuskers at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage could be trained and sent  for peraheras without using domestic elephants.

Instead In July 2016, Cabinet approved  the maintaining of  a pool of elephants, for  participation in cultural activities  as a government activity..  ’The perahera culture of Sri Lanka has a great history and has attracted the world’s attention. It is essential to use elephants in peraheras,” Cabinet said. A pool of about 35 elephants consisting of about 35 tuskers, and female elephants will be  created under the Zoological Department with elephants obtained from Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage and from Udawalawe Eth Athuru Sevana, with the objective of training for perahera purposes. Mahouts too will be trained at the facility on how ‘to treat the animals in the correct manner.”

In March 2021 The Maha Sangha met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to discuss the issue of perahera elephants. The  team included Anunayake of the Asgiriya Chapter, chief  incumbent of Tissamaharama , Kelaniya  and Gangarama Temples, the Diyawadana Nilame and President of the Tamed Elephant Owners Association.

The delegation pointed out that Perahera is  part of the indigenous heritage and the Maha Sangha and the government are responsible for upholding and preserving this heritage. Remnants of  the indigenous elephant culture still remained. The tradition of conducting religious rites after the death of elephants still exists today, the delegation said..But there is now a substantial shortage of trained elephants for Peraheras. About 80 of the available elephants  are now over 50 years of age. There is a need for a short term and long plan for this matter. ( Continued)

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