Save The Elephant.

Today is Save the Elephant Day.

The elephant is my favourite animal – I love them so much that they are a part of my company name. “Aliya” is Elephant in Singhalese.

Deeply rooted in Sri Lankan culture, elephants have been used in religious and cultural ceremonies for thousands of years. Once even used to wage war by ancient Sinhalese Kings, today these animals are one of Sri Lanka’s main ecotourism draws.

This is a video of a safari tour that I went on, in a national park in Sri Lanka. Seeing these majestic creatures up close in their natural habitat is quite awe-inspiring. However, despite the initial rush of seeing the elephants, I was left with a deep sense of distress too. There were so many vehicles surrounding the elephants just to get a chance of seeing them up close. And some of the drivers get so close to the animal for a short-lived moment of glory without any regard for their safety.

I thought about how the animals must feel so much fear with so many vehicles surrounding them. Their paths being blocked as they try to shield and protect their babies amongst the noise and commotion, an impending threat in their eyes. While we humans try to capture the perfect photo and ride the thrill of seeing an elephant.

As in many parts of the world, in Sri Lanka too, humans are encroaching on the habitat of these gentile gentle giants. Habitat is being lost to make room for the growing rural population and cultivation. There was a time, merely a century ago, when more than 20,000 wild elephants may have roamed the Sri Lankan countryside. Today the elephant population in Sri Lanka is estimated at only 4,000.

The income that locals derive from tourists visiting these parks does help to preserve the parks as well as sustain the wildlife populations. But is allowing ten or more noisy gas-guzzling vehicles to surround a mother and her baby as they wander gently down the road ethical or is it a means to justify an end: saving the animals?

I do not have the answer.

But I know there is a dire need for ethical wildlife tourism with enhanced guidelines in place where we can enjoy these experiences without disturbing the animals. I think conservation and commercialization can be compatible. But it must be managed and balanced very carefully and ethically. The problem arises in maintaining this delicate balance. There must be no exploitation, no unethical use of captive animals, and above all, they have to be well cared for and used for educational, and conservational purposes only.