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by Lloyd Fernando

Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself. - Oceana, 5

The outlook for "Elephas maximus Ceylonious" as the Sri Lanka elephant is scientifically known, is very bleak and zoologists are of the opinion that an invaluable member of our fauna is fast disappearing from the island.

The elephants which have succumbed to gunshot injuries in the past despite sustained efforts to save them, are example of how the species is being steadily reduced and brought closer to extinction.

Hunted

The elephant has been hunted for years by the fiercest and most merciless of all beasts - Man. Big game hunters have taken a big toll of the comparatively inoffensive elephant, adorning their walls with tusks as evidence of their skill. At the time when a pound of ivory was over fifty rupees, countless thousands of elephants were slaughtered in Africa.

The pursuit of ivory was as profitable as it was exciting. Great bull elephants with a shoulder height of eleven feet and more were chased for long distances, the hunter always hoping that he could equal the record of one who brought down an elephant whose tusks yielded 480 pounds of ivory.

Such was the slaughter in the last century that legal restrictions were imposed on the sale of ivory but even with this protection, the elephant has been wiped out of some parts of Africa.

Penalties

The capturing of elephants in Sri Lanka dates back to before the Christian Era and the first European account of this sport is that of Pliny who took down the information supplied by the Sinhala Ambassador to Claudius. Elephants even then were strictly protected and the penalty for killing one was whipping, confiscation of property or banishment.

Are we to adopt these penalties at this belated stage at least to make the extinction of the species later than sooner, remembering the fact that the two kinds of living elephants, African and Asiatic, are the only survivors of a huge family of animals with over three hundred different branches which during the past sixty million years has been spread over almost the whole of the earth?

Protection

The Department of Wildlife is doing its best, no doubt, to enlighten the villages of the importance and advantages of this national asset, the elephant. The staff, in addition to their normal work had performed a special duty, not long ago, that concerned the future of the wild elephant; they had traced by actual visits, traversing heavy jungle and undergoing much hardship, elephant trails so that 'corridors' may be set aside for their movement from one forest to another without any interference which has been the chief cause of the damage to crops.

Elephants in most villages are regarded as potential enemies. Such an attitude on the part of the villager is nevertheless understandable as a single elephant could destroy his crops over which he would have taken one whole season to cultivate, within a few hours.

However, cultivators should be more vigilant over their crops, particularly by night, and employ cheap and inexpensive but effective methods of keeping elephants away.

Efforts to implement these ideas in the minds of these cultivators are indefatigably continued; and let us hope it will not be long before these people, farmers and poachers would surely understand and eventually abstain from killing elephants under any circumstances.

Threat

For more than 3,000 years, the elephant has ranked with the horse, the dog and the camel as a faithful servant of man.

It has played a significant part in the history of religions, war, art, mythology and even music. Undoubtedly, there should be a special place in many hearts for the elephant.

But can we spare the elephant when we realise that the world's population figures have leapt incredibly upwards during the past three centuries or so? It is thus evident that although wild life is one of the most precious resources of the world, yet it is threatened with extinction in an already over-crowded world!

The least we could do for the elephant is to realise that it has not been placed there to be squandered for personal gain, considering the shocking truth that, up to date, man has been responsible for the extinction of nearly 500 species of animals.

Blue Cross Day

The spirit of enthusiasm of animal lovers throughout the world is rekindled every year on the 4th of October as the Blue Cross, the symbol of the Animal World, is held high, in recognition of World Animal Day.

This enthusiasm is a pledge that the cause of animal welfare will slowly but surely come to fruition when many amongst us have been habituated to the idea that it is a great and noble obligation to persist in kindness to animals.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

- Animal Farm, IO

(The writer is former Secretary to Governor, NWP)

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