The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, which initially started off as a centre to rehabilitate misplaced or abandoned baby elephants who would otherwise struggle to survive in the wild, has since grown into an institution that caters not only for the abandoned babies but also for those injured and maimed within the jungle.
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"It is not a progressive institution, and is absolutely not keeping with the times" EFL Director Rukshan Jayawardene[/caption]
The orphanage, in its mandate, has existed for over four decades and celebrated its 46th anniversary on 16 February 2021.
We reached out to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage Assistant Director Mihiran Medawala for a brief comment on how they marked their anniversary, and how they have fared considering the pandemic and its effects on both their staff and the elephants.
Medawala said that unlike in the past, they did not make a big occasion of the milestone and simply gathered the staff and had their usual pirith and milk rice almsgiving, which they traditionally do to mark anniversary celebrations. He said that additionally, they also launched a new display of an elephant head skull, which he shared would be a new attraction.
As for the challenges faced by the staff when it comes to Covid-19 restrictions, he said that they have put their staff of 199 persons on a roster working with a backup, to ensure that no one who contracts the virus, if at all, would have the chance of spreading it to the entirety of the staff. Beyond that, he said they only allow foreigners in on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and the remaining days are dedicated to locals, and that is how they have been operating for some time now.
We spoke to a number of wildlife activists with regard to the role of the elephant orphanage and its role in the sphere of conservation and protection of wildlife.
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BECT Managing Trustee Jayantha Jayewardene [/caption]
Biodiversity and Elephant Conservation Trust (BECT) Managing Trustee Jayantha Jayewardene shared that the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage has been an exemplary institution for having one of the better elephant breeding programmes, which they actually came upon by happenstance. Jayawardene said that while the first female elephant just happened to get pregnant, since then, the orphanage has developed an effective programme, producing one of the largest numbers of baby elephants.
However, he said that there is a challenge they are facing, as they do not know what to do with these elephants when they grow into adults, as they cannot integrate into the wild, having been brought up in captivity. He said that there have been attempts to give them away. However, politicians have obstructed this, wanting these animals for themselves, not for the love of the animal but rather for the prestige of having an elephant in one’s garden.
It is no secret that the elephant orphanage has been a controversial topic of division, with the majority of wildlife activists taking a position against raising elephants in captivity. However, there were some who wished them well and shared that hopefully, the establishment would some day return to its originally mandated purpose of rehabilitation and eventual release of the animals into the wild.
Nevertheless, not all were so forgiving, with Environmental Foundation Ltd. (EFL) Director Rukshan Jayawardene stating that the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage has long since perverted its original mandate, adding that it was never meant to be a holding facility and as a result, there was a need for the Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawe, simply because Pinnawala was not doing what it was meant to.
He added that beyond that, there are many concerns with the way the establishment is run, stating that it is increasingly mismanaged, adopting awfully archaic methods in looking after their wards and many acts of cruelty like chaining the elephants to the river bed, are also seen. “It is not a progressive institution, and is absolutely not keeping with the times,” he said, adding that it is “unethical, and tourists who have had greater exposure would know immediately not to visit such a place”.
He further said that in his lifetime, it is his hope to witness a time where elephants no longer live in captivity, and while he understands it would take some time, he hopes we’ll realise that places like Pinnawala do not look good on us as a nation.
PHOTOS KRISHAN KARIYAWASAM
"It is not a progressive institution, and is absolutely not keeping with the times" EFL Director Rukshan Jayawardene[/caption]
The orphanage, in its mandate, has existed for over four decades and celebrated its 46th anniversary on 16 February 2021.
We reached out to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage Assistant Director Mihiran Medawala for a brief comment on how they marked their anniversary, and how they have fared considering the pandemic and its effects on both their staff and the elephants.
Medawala said that unlike in the past, they did not make a big occasion of the milestone and simply gathered the staff and had their usual pirith and milk rice almsgiving, which they traditionally do to mark anniversary celebrations. He said that additionally, they also launched a new display of an elephant head skull, which he shared would be a new attraction.
As for the challenges faced by the staff when it comes to Covid-19 restrictions, he said that they have put their staff of 199 persons on a roster working with a backup, to ensure that no one who contracts the virus, if at all, would have the chance of spreading it to the entirety of the staff. Beyond that, he said they only allow foreigners in on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and the remaining days are dedicated to locals, and that is how they have been operating for some time now.
We spoke to a number of wildlife activists with regard to the role of the elephant orphanage and its role in the sphere of conservation and protection of wildlife.
[caption id="attachment_120438" align="alignleft" width="260"] BECT Managing Trustee Jayantha Jayewardene [/caption]
Biodiversity and Elephant Conservation Trust (BECT) Managing Trustee Jayantha Jayewardene shared that the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage has been an exemplary institution for having one of the better elephant breeding programmes, which they actually came upon by happenstance. Jayawardene said that while the first female elephant just happened to get pregnant, since then, the orphanage has developed an effective programme, producing one of the largest numbers of baby elephants.
However, he said that there is a challenge they are facing, as they do not know what to do with these elephants when they grow into adults, as they cannot integrate into the wild, having been brought up in captivity. He said that there have been attempts to give them away. However, politicians have obstructed this, wanting these animals for themselves, not for the love of the animal but rather for the prestige of having an elephant in one’s garden.
It is no secret that the elephant orphanage has been a controversial topic of division, with the majority of wildlife activists taking a position against raising elephants in captivity. However, there were some who wished them well and shared that hopefully, the establishment would some day return to its originally mandated purpose of rehabilitation and eventual release of the animals into the wild.
Nevertheless, not all were so forgiving, with Environmental Foundation Ltd. (EFL) Director Rukshan Jayawardene stating that the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage has long since perverted its original mandate, adding that it was never meant to be a holding facility and as a result, there was a need for the Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawe, simply because Pinnawala was not doing what it was meant to.
He added that beyond that, there are many concerns with the way the establishment is run, stating that it is increasingly mismanaged, adopting awfully archaic methods in looking after their wards and many acts of cruelty like chaining the elephants to the river bed, are also seen. “It is not a progressive institution, and is absolutely not keeping with the times,” he said, adding that it is “unethical, and tourists who have had greater exposure would know immediately not to visit such a place”.
He further said that in his lifetime, it is his hope to witness a time where elephants no longer live in captivity, and while he understands it would take some time, he hopes we’ll realise that places like Pinnawala do not look good on us as a nation.
PHOTOS KRISHAN KARIYAWASAM