Concerns raised over Sri Lankan elephant orphanage
16th July 2012
Video footage of tourist-elephant interaction at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka has been released, raising concerns over the herd's welfare
The video shows close tourist interaction with the elephants, which can make the elephants uncomfortable, and the elephants posing for photographs under duress.
A mother and her calf are surrounded by tourists; highly unsafe, putting the visitors at risk should the mother react badly to her calf being interfered with. Mahouts (elephant keepers) are also shown being tipped, which is prohibited by the facility.
Pinnawala has the largest herd of captive elephants in the world, approximately 78 as of this year. Once reaching adulthood, the elephants are generally sold or donated, kept for breeding purposes, or cared for, in the case of disabled elephants.
Will Travers, CEO of the Born Free Foundation, said that the best thing travellers looking to see elephants can do is to watch them in the wild. “Visiting the national parks where there are wild elephants is a good way of seeing them and will make an important contribution to the wildlife economy of the country,” he said.
“We have raised awareness about the activities at Pinnawala and our concerns relating to practices there,” he continued.
“I am not aware of any actions that have been taken by Pinnawala since the video was released but I hope that they will take these concerns seriously and remedy them since Sri Lanka has an enviable reputation for elephant conservation and what goes on at Pinnawala, would seem to undermine some of that important reputation.”
The Born Free Foundation have been questioning the welfare of the animals at the orphanage since 2010. The quality of care for the elephants sold or donated has also been questioned, as Pinnawala does not monitor the elephants once they leave the orphanage.
The site also claims that more than 40 elephants have been born in the orphanage in the past ten years – but none of them returned to the wild – and that the orphanage favours “the convenience of the tourists and staff over that of the animals they are supposed to be caring for.”
The Elephant Transit Home in Sri Lanka is supported by Born Free, which rescues orphaned elephants and then returns them to the wild when they are ready. Tourists can visit the home, where there is a specified time and viewing area to see the elephants as they come in for feeding.
“They are all candidates to be returned to the wild, which represents a significant difference from Pinnawala where, as far as I am aware, elephants have not been returned to the wild,” added Travers.
One of the best times to see Sri Lankan elephants in their natural habitat is in the Minneriya National Park at an event called The Gathering: a natural assembly of around 300 elephants around Minneriya Tank to bathe and drink during the dry season.
Watch the video here.
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