Sri Lankan Elephant transfer : information required

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I have been approached by WSPA to provide some information on the recent

elephant transfer case in Sri Lanka. It appears that the move has not

garnered as much attention as it should have. Would anyone be able to share

some more information on this? I would be interested to know if there is an

ongoing effort to return these calves to the orphanage and if the media is

still highlighting the issue. Apparently there have been similar cases in

the past in Sri Lanka and newspaper reports do exist and I am in the process

of trying to find them out. If anyone with any material to contribute on

this could get in touch with me, I would be grateful and share the

information with WSPA.

This also leads me to make a query about the recent suggestion of the

Indian government to consider animals as diplomatic ambassadors of goodwill.

There is cause to be sceptical about this, specially after the prevention of

export of an elephant from Bangalore to Armenia(If memory serves me

correctly) sometime ago. Also the continued Giant Panda diplomacy of China

is disturbing.

In my reckoning, a small compendium of such recent animal gifts in the

Indian subcontinent would be useful.

Please revert if possible.

Thank you.

Best wishes,

 

http://news./s/afp/20090805/sc_afp/srilankawildlifeanimalselephants

 

Sri Lanka stands firm on gift of baby elephants

 

COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lanka's president brushed aside protests from animal

rights activists Wednesday when he formally gifted two baby

elephantsseparated from their mothers to a Buddhist

temple.

 

President Mahinda Rajapakse presented the " guardianship " of the two calves

to top Buddhist monks at a ceremony in the central town of Kandy, his office

said.

 

Animal lovers had petitioned the Supreme Court as well as the Court of

Appeal demanding that the calves be reunited with their mothers, while the

local media carried letters from angry readers complaining of cruelty to

animals and an insult to Buddhism.

 

The two-and-half-year old tuskers were separated from their mothers at the

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage in central Sri Lanka and sent to the nearby

Temple of the Tooth over a week ago.

 

Critics said the sudden separation had upset the still-suckling calves, and

they accused temple workers of using restraining measures that injured the

animals.

 

Animal rights activist Jagath Gunawardene said he hoped the calves would be

sent back to the elephant orphanage once their guardianship had been

formally handed over to the temple.

 

However, recreation minister Gamini Lokuge dismissed the idea.

 

" We will send them back to Pinnawela only if the chief veterinary

surgeonrecommends it, or the court orders it, " Lokuge told AFP.

 

Sri Lanka's cabinet ordered the gift of the baby elephants from the

Pinnawela orphanage to the temple to coincide with Wednesday's annual

festival of the Temple of the Tooth -- in which Buddha's tooth is paraded.