The Sri Lankan wild elephants are smaller than the African counterparts, and are pretty easily tamed. It also gives joy rides to people on its back. You would find various types of elephant festivals held almost every year in Sri Lanka in many places. The main festival where you can see lots of elephants is the annual Kandy Perahera. Their species are threatened due to the undue hunting and poaching done by the individuals. Its tusks are considered of great value, hence hunted for the same. Remote population of wild elephants present in the wildlife sanctuaries is also endangered. At the present, many wild life sanctuaries have been established to support the relocation of wild elephants. Tourists can see elephants mainly in Udawalawe, Pinnawala and Yala.
Elephants in Sri Lanka are highly respected and are presented in many social festivals. Festivals like “Kandy Perahera” as I mentioned above, pretty much renowned in Kandy uses elephants. In this, the elephants are decorated immensely and are real treat for the eyes. The females are the ones which leads the herd while these gigantic creatures walk. Recent years, the population of the elephants has been endangered due to the corrupt poaching done for its precious ivory tusks which are of great value and very rare.
Sri Lankan elephants are one among the four subspecies in Asia, others present in Borneo, Sumatra and India. Sri Lankan elephants are the most widely disciplined and passive types, as far as what has been read and seen. With regard to unusual traits, you can distinguish Asian elephants by its small size and round back, its internal finger extensions, the two bumps on the head and nineteen close pairs of ribs which are exactly two pairs less than the African species. In addition to this, the female Asian elephant has no tusks.Whether you believe this or not but it has been seen that the ears of the elephant are quite effective in cooling down this animal. These mammoth creatures can use their ears just like large fans and scientists conjecture that its ears are much more sophisticated than the electronic fans used by humans. Now isn’t that a new leaning for you? The ears of the elephant are filled with blood vessels, which are very thin with low levels of insulating fat content present in it. As the blood flows through the ears of an elephant, it gets cooled by the air in contact thereby helping in cooling down the animal.
Sri Lankan elephants are not the most common among the three subspecies of the Asian elephants. However all Asian elephants are almost nearly the same. It’s very difficult to identify one from another unless you have a good knowledge about these animals. It has been found that few males among these species prefer to lead a solitary life during their youth.
Elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka is a special place because of few reasons, the main reason is, it is the one and only elephant orphanage in the world. Everyday hundreds of local and foreign tourists come to visit this place and it’s very popular among people. This place established in 1975 by the Sri Lankan wild life department and it’s situated in Pinnawela, Kegalle district of Sri Lanka.
24 acres of area belongs to this elephant orphanage and it’s also a breeding place for elephants. Currently there are about 80 elephants under protection.
