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| Sunday, 6 February 2005 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Pinnawela Orphanage, boon for baby elephants by Don Asoka Wijewardena Elephants just don't do things in half measure. When an elephant loves,it gives all, says the keeper of the Pinnawela Orphanage,near the hill country, Kandy. The compassionate nature of elephants makes the keeper's job easy and deeply satisfying. "When an elephant is brought to the orphanage,it is quarantined for three to four days before being released to the herd. When this is done,the other elephants scream with pleasure as they rush to exuberantly welcome the newcomer," said an elephant keeper. The Pinnawela Orphanage was established in 1975 for the benefit of baby elephants. A large number of elephants had to be separated from a herd when they accidentally fell into empty wells near villages in search of drinking water. As many as 84 young elephants who had similar mishaps have passed through the orphanage. Some of them were babies, from various parts of jungles in Sri Lanka. Their herd had struggled for days to salvage them from the wells before giving up in despair. Many were injured and almost in starvation before they were rescued by villagers. On arrival,injured elephants are usually confined to the orphanage hospital,akin to a long aircraft hangar, where wounds are treated and they are well-fed to revive their health on a diet of several hundred weights of coconut palm fronds and jak fruit tree branches. Since 1975,a few elephants have died. Sadly,these deaths were due to fatal wounds inflicted on them by man. Occasionally, an elephant would stray into village cultivations to uproot crops, provoking a shotgun attack. But these occurrences are now rare as Sri Lankans have realised the value of such great beasts. Pinnawela, is one of Sri Lanka's greenest paddy districts where the orphanage is situated on a 25-acre plot of gently undulated palm forest. The Ma oya which flows through the compound affords the two daily baths vital for an elephant's comfort and hygiene. Everything was quiet on the day I visited Pinnawela. The only casualty in the elephant infirmary was a young elephant suffering from constipation due to his daily diet of two litres of powdered milk. Although the older females in the Pinnawela herd,do not lactate,they still suckle the young for comfort. Such is the nurturing nature of an elephant. But as anyone knows,there's nothing like mother's milk,even for animals the lack of which would result in frequent stomach disorders among elephants. There are 28 babies (less than 10 years) from a total of 70 elephants.Sometimes during their three-year period of milk-feeding,they are likely to suffer from a mild bout of constipation,but serious illnesses are rare. If something serious happens to an elephant,the entire staff with two veterinarians of the orphanage treat them with affection. A recurring problem for which nothing could be done is when an older elephant is in must. At this time a fluid called itcher is secreted from the eyes and for a short time the elephant becomes dangerous. At Pinnawela,the males are chained during such period. In the elephant world, time passes slowly but uneventfully,since an elephant has a longevity of nearly hundred years. Several years ago veterinarians attached to the Peradeniya University Veterinary Science section used to visit the orphanage and serve as midwives during pregnancy stage of a she elephant. A committee has also been set up to investigate breeding of the elephants. When orphans mature at 15 years,some well-tamed ones are presented to Buddhist temples and devalayas where they are trained to be used in processions,such as the famous Kandy perehera, when the sacred Tooth Relic of the Lord Buddha is carried by a majestic elephant with a procession of 50 to 80 caparisoned elephants. Chandana Rajapaksa, who is in charge of the Pinnawela Orphanage, is a qualified veterinarian. According to different ages, elephants are categorised as infants - those less than one year, calves those less than five years and juvenile or babies - those between five to ten years. Asked whether any development plans had commenced at the orphanage, Rajapaksa said that several plans were under way to improve the orphanage with sheds for elephants, a water pool, new entrance complex (with facilities such as toilets, resting place, soft drink restaurant, souvenir shop and a modern ticketing counter) for the benefit of both local and foreign tourists. He said that a museum with a skeleton of an elephant, old instruments used for elephant-keeping, an audio-visual room with a small library and a new elephant hospital with a mini-lab were under construction to attract more visitors to the orphanage. |
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