New laws on tamed elephants

The Environment Ministry will soon formulate a national level action plan with new regulations with regard to tamed elephants to ensure their well-being, Environment Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.

The regulations will comply with international conditions as well, the Minister told a ceremony at the Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya on Thursday. The Minister opened the sacred relic exhibition at the conclusion of the temple’s 108th annual perahera.

“Being a Buddhist country, we have to adopt a more considerate policy towards elephants as there are instances where tamed elephants were ill-treated by their owners.

Despite unplanned development which created a non-conducive environment for elephants, the elephant population has doubled during the last decade. However, still there are only 137 tamed elephants in the country out of which there are only 27 tuskers,” the Minister said.

The Ministry, on President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s instructions has decided to distribute tusks in the possession of the Wildlife Conservation Department to the Maha Nayakas and temples, Minister Ranawaka said while offering a pair of tusks to the Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya.

The Minister also provided bins to ensure proper garbage disposal in the temple under the Ministry’s Pilisaru garbage management project.