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| Sunday, 18 May 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Students adopt baby elephant A couple of years ago, in the thickest wilderness of Ethimale in Siyambalaanduwa, a baby elephant was found stranded. This tiny toddler was soon brought to the 'Elephant - transit home' at Udawalawe. This transit home managed by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, is the temporary abode of many such orphans.
That toddler elephant is no more an orphan. She is now in the loving care of a "foster" parent. "Mihika' is the name given to her by her foster parent, Musaeus College. Paying for the feeding and maintenance of the baby elephant is done through the funds raised by Musaeites. Particularly primary students who are really fond of 'Mihika', who make sure to contribute a coin or two every day, towards her welfare. This is one of the main projects, undertaken by the Musaeus College Wildlife Conservation Project. Members and non-members pay special attention to 'Mihika' since this little elephant is close to their hearts. Students say they raise the required funds by pooling their pocket money. They are anxiously looking forward to the day this baby elephant 'Mihika' grows up to be a majestic elephant. The students work under the guidance of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, contributing to the conservation and promotion of wildlife in Sri Lanka. During the short period of two years, the project has organised several workshops to educate members on wildlife protection and taken them on outings to observe wildlife. The involvement of students in wildlife protection is very timely because wildlife in Sri Lanka is under threat due to direct and indirect causes. On one hand the indiscriminate killing of animals for food and pleasure is posing a great danger to their survival while on the other the destruction of jungles by persons engaged in the illicit timber business is denying these animals and their natural habitats.
Among the indirect causes threatening wildlife, the large scale use of pesticides and insecticides plays a major role. These toxic substances gradually kill many varieties of small animals and disrupt their breeding habits. Some say that it is a part of development and that priority has to be given to the survival of man even though it is at the expense of the survival of other animals. How ethical is this line of thinking is something time alone can prove because sans animals, which is part and parcel of the environment, man too may go into extinction. "Like all lovers of wildlife, we, as members of this project, believe that all animals are creations of nature and should have the right to live undisturbed and unhurt. Our final aim is to carry this message to every corner of the country by involving other schools in this exercise and through them make the entire nation conscious of the need to protect wildlife." The members of the project take a keen interest in protecting the environment, as well. With this in mind, a proposal to launch a programme to collect discarded polythene for the purpose of re-cycling has been initiated. The preliminary steps, in this direction, have already been taken. Involving more and more students in the activities of the project is their aim. To achieve this goal, they have organized an essay and art competition on "Protecting Wildlife" as the theme and dedicated to have it at several levels and open to all students of Musaeus College. A good response is anticipated. The senior members of the society ventured on an educational trip to Bundala this year. They participated in a workshop, which was organized for the International Wetlands Day, 2nd of February by the Department of Wildlife Conservation together with local schools around the Hambantota District. The bird watching tour at the Bundala National Park, the Ramsar Wetland was so exiting for the members, because wherelse in Sri Lanka could one enjoy viewing migratory birds in their thousands! They also visited one of the biggest nature reserves 'Yala National Park' to learn more about wild animals. Last year the members of the project went on a trip to Girithale. They were educated about bio-diversity and wildlife conservation through lectures in Girithale. The members had a safari at Girithale and Minneriya National Parks to improve their knowledge about nature. As the most recent project the girls organised an exhibition "Vision On Nature 2003". The main objective has to educate young nature lovers. From the time they thought of launching these projects, the original set of students have received the unfailing encouragement and support of the Principal Mrs. N. K. Pilapitiya, and the Deputy Principal Mrs. S. Dandeniya. |
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