Are we living in the 21st Century, or are we not? Why do places of worship require elephants and other wild animals? Wild animals belong in the jungle, not fettered and manacled. They should be in their own environment, not pandering to the whims and fancies and egos of humans.
The duty of an educated, enlightened, and responsible populace and government is to preserve and nurture our forests and wildlife. In the case of Sri Lanka, however, we seem determined to destroy whatever we have been blessed with.
Is the general public aware of how elephants are coerced into submission? No.
They are beaten mercilessly, prodded with bull pricks, lashed, and tortured, until through sheer desperation they submit. Then what lies ahead of them – a life lived in chains, manacles and subject to the whims and fancies of illiterate, cruel, and drunken keepers, while priests bask in the glory of more and more elephants in their temples. One wonders where their dharmishta and compassion lie.
As for our forests, well, global warming seems to be a phenomenon unknown to Sri Lankan authorities. Our paradise isle will soon be a desert and then I wonder what will happen to one of our main foreign exchange earners: tourism. Will the powers that be wake up to reality when it is too late, or are they so blinded by the implicit faith they have in themselves that realisation will never see the light of day?
Karuna is not practiced in Sri Lanka anymore, however come Poya day, the sale of alcohol is banned, which doesn’t mean a thing as statistics show; on the contrary, it merely increases sales the day before. As for the Pereharas that parade the streets, causing untold trauma to the poor elephants, not to mention the constant prodding they endure, all on a hallowed Poya day – it’s obviously of no concern to anyone.
It really is quite tragic what has befallen our country and the sensibilities of our people. The sheer callousness that is displayed towards all animals both domestic and wild, the lack of concern for our environment, the disinclination to even learn and improve our knowledge and way of life is quite shocking.
The number of cases languishing in courts regarding animal cruelty, particularly in the case of elephants, is horrific. Illicit cattle slaughter is rampant, while the Animal Welfare Bill, despite promises made by MP Namal Rajapaksa, has yet to be passed in Parliament, and the pleas of a handful of activists continue to fall on deaf ears.
The number of elephants falling prey to electric fences makes one wonder if that is the latest method adopted to eliminate them. After all, this is a country where the Minister for Wildlife gave villagers guns to shoot down elephants, having of course conveniently shut his eyes to the fact that these villagers are being relocated in elephant territory, and within elephant corridors.
They say ignorance is bliss, but when reality hits, it will be cataclysmic.
