The pain of parting

A controversy has arisen over the separation of two baby elephants from their mothers at the Pinnawala Orphanage — given as gifts for the Asgiri and Malwatte Chapters — and the subsequent treatment meted out to them in Kandy.

They are no longer the happy mothers they used to be… they are sad and dejected because their babies have been snatched away from them. They desperately want to feed and cuddle them as any mother would want to. But where have their offspring gone, wonder Shanthi and Punchi who
Prodding and poking in the name of taming: This picture taken by the Young Zoologist Association tells the fate of the elephants in Kandy

anxiously await their little-ones’ return.
Prodding and poking in the name of taming: This picture taken by the Young Zoologist Association tells the fate of the elephants in Kandy


This is the plight of two cow elephants at the Pinnawala Orphanage, following the sudden removal of their two under-aged calves on July 25, on the grounds the pair was an offering to the Raja Maha Viharas of the Malwatte and Asgiri Chapters. Cabinet approval had been granted for the transfer of the two baby elephants.

Life, for small Raju and Sindu, away from their mothers, has been miserable too. These two-and-a-half-year-old calves were the only two tuskers of the 50 baby elephants born at Pinnawala, the Sunday Times was told by a caretaker, when we visited the Orphanage on Wednesday.

Describing the scene when the calves were taken away, he said the mother elephants looked on helplessly, but trumpeted out loud and pulled at their chains. Even villagers had lit crackers to protest the brutal wrenching away of the baby elephants from their mothers. According to an eyewitness, a number of people, including some in police uniforms, had assisted in forcibly removing the calves from their mothers.

“The cow elephants are still in a state of shock. When it comes to feeding time, they cry out, as they are unable to suckle their young,” said the caretaker adding that like human beings, elephants were
A picture of sadness:The two mothers huddle together as if to compensate for their loss:

very attached to their calves and were protective of them.
A picture of sadness:The two mothers huddle together as if to compensate for their loss:


Elephant expert and Managing Trustee of the Biodiversity and Elephant Conservation Trust Jayantha Jayawardene said, these elephants were too young to be removed from their mothers as they had much to learn from them and the rest of the herd. “Elephants are not born with natural instincts. It is essential they stay with their parents, because like human beings, the adult elephants teach their little ones various things, like food habits and other survival instincts. They live and grow in a herd so there is a lot of learning from adults,” he said.

He said, a better option would have been to transfer the ownership of the elephants to the Maligawa and allow the baby elephants to be with the mothers until they reached a certain age. According to lawyer and wildlife activist Jagath Gunawardene, Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance state that one cannot deprive animals of their right to food; they cannot be subjected to torture or any kind of physical or mental abuse and they cannot be tied in a manner that hinders their movements.

“In this instance, the animals are being deprived of their right to natural food—their mothers’ milk, kept in an unsuitable environment and subjected to mental agony caused by the separation from their mothers,” he said.

Gunewardene said Cabinet approval was given for the removal of two ‘baby elephants’ and not tuskers. There was no indication of the age too,” he said. He said, it was not a good practice to separate calves from their mothers until the age of five as they depend on the mother’s milk till then. He said usually calves are taken away once they were over five years.

Also opposing the move was the Young Zoologist Association (YZA), whose members witnessed and took photographs of the harassment being meted out to the calves in Kandy, during attempts to tame them. They said the calves should be sent back immediately to the Pinnawala Orphanage.

According to the YZA President Pubudu Weeraratne, the two baby elephants have been separated from each other, with one being kept in a small shed and the other tied to a coconut tree. They were being fed kitul and coconut leaves, he said.

Weeraratne said the calves had been removed from the Orphanage without permission from the Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage comes under the National Zoological Gardens and the Wildlife Department has authority over the registration and transportation of animals.

A spokesperson from the Wildlife Department on conditions of anonymity said, the Department had not been informed about such a transfer. Attempts by the Sunday Times to contact the Director of the Zoological Gardens failed. We were told he was not available to take our calls.

The baby elephants were taken away temporarily to familiarise them with the perehera environment, Recreation Minister Gamini Lokuge who is in charge of Zoological Gardens, including the Pinnawala Orphanage, told the Sunday Times.

“These two baby elephants were gifted to the Mahanayaka Theras to be trained for the perehera and this was done with Cabinet approval. They are still too young to participate in the perehera, but since they need to be exposed to the environment gradually, we decided to keep them at the premises of the Diyawadena Nilame’s house, during the ongoing perehera season. They will be retuned to the Orphanage once the pageant concludes and they will be brought back when they reach a certain age,” he said.

DN: I’m not keeping any animal by force

Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela Bandara speaking to our Kandy correspondent Shane Senevirathne, said, no elephant was brought forcibly from Pinnawala and there was no legal issue with regard to that.

“I don’t accept the claims that army and police officers from Kandy went to Pinanawala to bring these elephants. When they were to be brought from Piannawala on an earlier occasion, some villagers fired crackers and even tried to assault the people, which is why a special police team was deployed this time. These baby elephants were brought with a gate pass issued by the Zoo Director. It was a Presidential order.

The DN challenged anyone to show an elephant, who still drinks milk after three years. He said they eat only leaves, but those drinking milk won’t eat leaves. These tuskers would be returned to Pinnanwala only if there was a policy decision by the Government to do so. I am not keeping any animal by force,” he said.

Harmful effects of separation

The Sri Lanka Wildlife Veterinarians’ Association has issued a statement highlighting the consequences that could arise following the separation of calves from their mothers.

“The baby elephants suckle till they are about five years of age and they are dependant on milk as a main source of nutrient. Weaning them at an early age could result in nutritional complications such as protein deficiency which leads to the swelling of the abdomen, and calcium deficiency that can cause birth abnormalities and/or factures etc,” the statement said.

It added although bottle-feeding the calves infant formula was an option; it too can cause problems such as indigestion, diarrhoea, anaemia and dehydration. The abrupt separation can result in anxiety and depression and this can result in immunity problems in addition to the behavioural abnormalities.