The heroic tusker of Panamura

By Amal HEWAVISSENTI

He was the celebrated leader elephant of Panamura. The leader elephant's stiff fighting back to rescue his group of elephants was of a heroic calibre that must rank with the most memorable in animal world and perhaps in human world.

The elephant of Panamura met his doomsday at a brutal operation under Francis Molamure to capture wild elephants for his Kraal.

The defiant elephant who had launched several decisive attacks on the Kraal was shot dead while he was demolishing the massive wall of wooden posts trapping the elephants. This animal leader was responding with his final attack against man's barbarism when he fell lifeless on the ground in one of the greatest tragedies in recent history.

This was the event that caused fierce social controversy in Sri Lanka in 1950s.

Environmentalists and responsible social leaders such as Gunapala Malalasekera strongly condemned the wave of violence against wild elephants by provincial chiefs. The issue compelled the government to strictly prohibit capturing wild elephants and building elephant Kraals.

The organising of elephant Kraals (an obsolete practice now) appeared to be much of a blood sport that involved tragedy, adventure and sometimes fun for the owners. The elephant Kraal of Panamura of Embilipitiya, originally established by James Maduwanwela, subsequently belonged, on lineage, to Francis Molamure, the first Speaker of Parliament.

The elephant Kraal was not actually an enclosure to keep tamed elephants but a massive fence of about 20 feet in height, among the trees of the forest to keep captured wild elephants under control. This was, by all counts, the symbol of man's barbarism towards animals.

Hasthiraja Foundation

However, the memory of the tragic death of the tusker of Panamura would never be obliterated from the minds of people genuinely concerned about the freedom of animals.

Saman Rathnayaka, the SP of Horana Police station, and a nature lover has embarked on a novel project to commemorate the sacrificial leadership of the tusker of Panamura and to protect the current generation in conflict with man.He has planned and organised ‘Hasthiraja Padanama’ (‘Leader Elephant Foundation’) to highlight man's brutality to animals (exhibited first in the Panamura incident) with a powerful message to safeguard elephant population for future. Saman Rathnayaka is the director of Hasthiraja Foundation.

His true love for nature and the undisguised concern in particular, for animals, reminds us that still there are people blessed with warm hearts.’

The 62nd death anniversary of Panamura elephant falls on August 9 this year. The ceremonial opening of the proposed elephant museum accompanied by a cultural pageant has already planned for the day.

Museum

According to Saman Rathnayaka, the Director of Hasthiraja Foundation, an exclusive museum featuring the skull and the actual photographs of the elephant of Panamura is nearing completion. Thus, the museum will be the one and only institution that provides all vital information and data about elephants in Sri Lanka. Apart from that, the elephant museum of Panamura will provide ample facilities and accommodation for researchers of elephants.Saman Rathnayaka expressed confidence that the museum would definitely serve as a safe haven for endangered or injured elephants comparable to the animal hospital at Hiyare. The Director of Hasthiraja Foundation said:

“The basic concept of conserving the remaining parts of the elephant Kraal struck my mind when I visited the place for the first time. Therefore, I made arrangements to establish ‘Hasthiraja Padanama’ with the support of villagers, explorers and responsible officials.

I thought that this historic place where lot of things happened, should be preserved for future. When I visited the place where the elephant Kraal once existed, I felt so sorry for place completely invaded by jungle...”

“The area that earlier was around a four acres has now dwindled to a small land. The place was in a deplorable condition and only a huge post has remained of the elephant fence. There was the old water spring (‘Diya bubula’) all covered with thick jungle. There I thought to preserve the historic place for future generations to see. Now ‘elephant Kraal’ is totally out of our vocabulary but such things once existed in our country.” “Thereby we took steps to conserve the place. Several donors strengthened our basic fund required to rebuild the place.

We have already organised fund-raising activities such as musical extravaganza...” The Director of the foundation further elaborated his arrangements to preserve the long-time water spring in Panamura and to sculpt a life-size replica of the famous elephant of Panamura in the premises of the proposed museum. He added that plans get under way to construct a model fence of the elephant Kraal that existed in the forest.

Nature of elephant Kraals

The Portuguese had the practice of building elephant Kraals in the forests and drive wild elephants into them. The elephants thus captured were later sold to India annually and the Dutch too continued to sell at least hundred and fifty elephants a year.

The tradition of building a huge fence of logs in the natural forests and trapping wild elephants into them using a huge “human ring” was first introduced in the famous Panamura elephant Kraal by James William Maduwanwela, the provincial chief.

After his death, Francis Molamure lawfully possessed the Maduwanwela property. In his effort to organise a large elephant Kraal in 1950s, a leader elephant was killed in cold blood when the animal sabotaged all efforts to entrap fourteen elephants.

The shocking death of the great elephant who launched a life and death struggle for the independence of his own kind, instantly called a halt to the practice of organising elephant Kraals in Sri Lanka. This was a cause celebre in 1950s.