Sri Lanka holds elephants and tuskers in high veneration, especially when it comes to using the gentle giants in religious processions. Among several of the key processions that take place annually, the Esala Perahera in Kandy seems to bring in the most number of elephants from around the country.

However, despite this being the year 2023, the ongoing outcry by animal rights organisations as well as concerned citizens to phase out the use of elephants and tuskers at processions seems to be falling on deaf ears.

Last week during the second Kumbal Perahera, a number of elephants ran amok when the day’s festivities were in procession. Even during the first Kumbal Perahera on Monday (21), environmentalists observed that an elephant was in distress.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, environmentalist Srilal Miththapala noted that the elephant in question had been swaying from side to side in distress whilst being paraded on the streets of Kandy as part of the perahera.

“Elephants are social creatures and they can sense the distress of their fellow elephants. When one elephant starts to run in distress, then the others naturally react the same way. We need to have experts on ground to observe the behaviour of these animals, especially when they are to be paraded on streets that are full of spectators. Any animal that is showing signs of distress should not be paraded on the streets for the safety of the animal and to avoid any incidents such as the one that took place recently,” Miththapala explained.

What went wrong?

Soon after the incident, theories as to what caused the elephant to become restless were shared on social media. One theory was that the elephant had stepped on an ember that had fallen from one of the oil lanterns that are carried on either side of the procession to light up the streets. 

The other theory was that the elephant had been distressed due to the ongoing heat wave and could not bear the heat retained in its body due to the clothing that it had to wear and the possible restrictions in movement caused by the chains swung across to tie its legs to enable the handlers to guide the elephant through the streets.

‘Not the first time’

“This is not the first time that an elephant has run amok during a perahera. The handlers responded quickly and restrained the animals. Only one spectator was hospitalised, while those who jumped into the lake in front of the Maligawa were rescued with the assistance of the Police and the Army. 

“The processions will continue and we are taking necessary measures to ensure the safety of the elephants and spectators in the meantime,” a spokesperson for the Sri Dalada Maligawa Media Unit told The Sunday Morning.

‘Elephant reacted to horn’

Kataragama Devalaya Mahout Ashoka Chandrasekara, who handled the elephant which initially got agitated, explained that the elephant had reacted out of curiosity when a child on the side of the street had blown a horn when the elephant was passing. 

“The elephant had reached out with its trunk to inspect the horn and the child had struck the elephant’s trunk in fear. When the elephant had turned towards the child, it had collided with the tusker that was carrying the casket, causing a chain reaction that caused the elephants to run amok.

“Elephants are curious creatures and naturally they would try to move towards anything that makes sudden movements. There are toys that distract these elephants, especially horns and laser lights. Parents should be mindful as to which toys they allow children to play with, when they are that close to animals,” Chandrasekara noted.

Restraints

Following the incident, Sri Dalada Maligawa Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela Bandara had held a meeting with the mahouts and the coordinators of the processions. During the meeting, Dela Bandara had inquired about the restraining instruments used to control the elephants by the mahouts.

“We are using fewer chains to restrain these animals now and some elephants do not have any chains on them at all. This actually posed a challenge when the mahouts had to restrain the elephants that were running amok. I have instructed our staff to have a closer look at the bullhooks and chains that are used on the animals to determine whether they could cause wounds to the animals as well,” Dela Bandara elaborated.

Phase out elephant use

While several animal rights organisations and animal rights activists have continually requested a ban on the use of elephants in religious processions, religious leaders and the custodians of the temple, as well as those who organise cultural events, appear to be uncomfortable with the idea of making do without elephants for processions.

“Upholding culture and tradition seem to be the deciding factor that is hindering this process. While honouring age-old traditions and culture, we urge the Government and these religious institutions to consider phasing out the use of elephants in processions. 

“From what we know, there are around 100 elephants that are used for religious and cultural processions. Some of these elephants are now reaching their old age; maybe the custodians can take them off the processions and allow them to enjoy a peaceful life with an open space to move around and ensure they are given proper medical attention and sustenance,” Miththapala noted.

Implement training and code of ethics

Given that the Kandy Esala Perahera is an event that exhibits the heritage of Sri Lanka and is a revered annual event that Buddhists across the country look forward to, The Sunday Morning spoke to Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs Vidura Wickramanayaka on measures the Government could take to address the requests made by animal rights groups to remove elephants from peraheras.

“As a Buddhist, I am against animal cruelty and I bear that sentiment for all animals, not only towards elephants. However, we must understand that elephants and tuskers are integral to our heritage and they have been part of these religious and cultural processions since time immemorial. Therefore, we need to look at providing the proper training and recognition to mahouts on handling the elephants and tuskers and on how they should take these animals for processions in an ethical manner,” Wickramanayaka responded.

He added even the spectators needed to be made aware of how they should behave while they watched the perahera: “People are unaware of what could trigger panic in an elephant. As the mahout explained, lasers, toy whistles, and horns seemed to have distracted the elephants. Even flash photography could trigger restlessness in these animals. It would be better if a code of ethics is introduced to prevent future incidents.”

As for removing the elephants from peraheras, Wickramanayaka opined that it was a decision that the religious institutions would have to make, along with the Sri Dalada Maligawa custodian and administration.