TUESDAY 17 AUGUST 2021 Wondrous Praying Mantis Facts SEE ON PAGE 4-5 Greece Facing Ecological Disaster SEE ON PAGE 3 Is it Time for Retirement? Not Made BY RISIDRA MENDIS constantly being on hard surfaces For Captivity CEYLON TODAY FEATURES such as concrete or tarmac will The world’s biggest land mammals, definitely cause musculoskeletal elephants are known to wander the He is the tallest captive elephant issues in elephants. Their bodies world in Asia and Africa. These facts in Sri Lanka. With his long tusks and feet are constructed to spend about elephants will help you learn and majestic look, he can be seen most of their time on soft yielding more about these iconic animals. carrying the sacred tooth relic at ground such as soil. To claim It’s true! While most people assume the Kandy Esala perahera. The differently is against science. there are only two—Asian and 67-year-old tusker Nadungamuwa There have been many scientific African—there are actually three: the Raja has for many years carried the studies and expert observations African bush elephant, the African sacred tooth relic during the annual conducted on elephants’ feet forest elephant, and the Asian Kandy Esala perahera. around the world on all types of elephant. Forest elephants are smaller A recent footage of the tusker’s elephants. Captive elephant studies than bush elephants at about half the journey to Kandy to partake in the are not based only on zoo size and their tusks are straighter and annual procession was doing rounds elephants,” Arachchige explains. downward pointing while African bush and has caused animal welfare elephants have more curved tusks. activists to voice their concern over Spreading Both evolved from a common ancestor the health of the elephant. misinformation and have distinctly different DNA. “Wild born Indian tusker Ears are the easiest way to tell Nadungamuwa Raja was brought to She says his scarred and battered elephant species apart. Sri Lanka in 1956 and is one of the body bears witness to his endless The easiest ways to tell a species of most celebrated captive elephants suffering, a veritable road map of elephant apart is from the shape of in Sri Lanka. He has carried the cruelty, yet this mere shell of a their ears. Both forest and bush sacred tooth relic in the Kandy majestic elephant is described as African elephants have ears Esala Perahera on many occasions. being a ‘much-worshipped Tusker resembling the geometry of Africa As the tallest captive elephant in Sri king’ by captive elephant ghouls in while Asian elephants have ears that Lanka he towers at around 10.5 feet Sri Lanka? “Enslaved, Beaten, resemble the geometric shape of (3.2 metres) in height and as battered, subjugated, and deprived continental Asia. Asian elephants Nadungamuwa Raja refuses to … surely doesn’t sound much like have significantly smaller ears than board a truck, each year he is ‘royal’ treatment. Spreading their African counterparts. walked the 90 km to Kandy to misinformation to defend and African elephants are the largest participate in the Kandy Esala excuse abuse or neglect may land mammals. perahera,” Founder Rally for ingratiate organisations with The African elephants species can Animal Rights & Environment elephant owners and supporters, reach a staggering 13 feet tall at (RARE) Maneesha Arachchige said. but it does not help elephants. Until shoulder height. To put it in such time as elephant owners and perspective, Asian elephants can Left foot swollen followers understand clearly what reach about 10 feet tall and are a After a three-year absence from constitutes ‘good care’, poor care minimum height of 6.8 feet. In relation the Kandy perahera this year his will continue to be accepted and to humans, the tallest man on record journey of 90 km to Kandy started captive elephants in Sri Lanka will is Sultan Kösen who grew to be 8 foot, on 2 August. “Within a few days of continue to suffer,” Arachchige 2 inches. African elephants are just the journey we noticed his left foot explains. about twice the size of Michael starting to swell. In a video footage She says he must be retired and Jordan! shot on 9 August, eight days into given to a sanctuary at least at About one-third of Asian his journey it is apparent that Ridiyagama Safari Park, where he elephants live in captivity. Nadungamuwa Raja’s left leg now can live his life chain free as an As Asian elephant populations has significant swelling and he elephant, and that this case shows decrease (they’re listed as endangered appears to be limping and unable to why a mandatory retirement age for by IUCN), the numbers of elephants in bend it. Forcing an elderly ailing captive elephants must be captivity continue to rise for various elephant to complete this journey is introduced in Sri Lanka. “Our exploitative industries. In the US, animal cruelty. His journey should country and people were shamed Asian elephants have been used in end now and be examined and internationally by the Tikiri affair circuses like the now defunct Ringling treated by a team expert veterinary back in 2019, this is like history Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Cole doctors without delay,” Arachchige repeating itself. We appear to have Bros. Circus, and Shiners (which still explained. learnt nothing,” Arachchige said. continues to travel and perform). In She goes on to say that he should When Ceylon Today spoke to Thailand, these elephants are being not be allowed to participate in the Nadungamuwe Raja’s owner, used for riding, bathing, for selfies, perahera this year or in the future ayurvedic doctor Harsha and in the logging industry. World and should be retired from service Dharmavijaya, he said the tusker Animal Protection is working to end and kept in a chain free, free walks 10 km to 12 km per day for elephant entertainment through roaming environment to live out at eight days to get to Kandy. “He walks legislation in the US and by least the rest of his life in freedom for six hours and then takes a break. transforming commercial Thai venues and peace. “We owe this to him for If the tusker is finding it difficult to to stop all direct contact interactions. the service that he has done all walk he will not walk but stay under Most illegal ivory comes from these years. We are very concerned a tree, no matter what the mahout African elephants. that an elderly elephant was will do. Nadungamuwa Raja is Nearly 35,000 African elephants are permitted to commence such an healthy and fit because he is made poached for their tusks each year for arduous journey in the first to walk every day. When walking to traditional Chinese medicine. While instance. The fact that he has now Kandy for the perahera, the tusker Asian elephants are still poached for sustained an injury was entirely illness?’” Arachchige questioned. perahera – Tikiri in 2019 who died a has a van following him and every their tusks, all species are at risk for predictable. Elephant feet are very “Has Nadungamuwa Raja ever even few weeks later after walking in the three to four km water is sprayed on poaching due to demand for their sensitive and a foot injury can be had his legs x-rayed or scanned?” parade. “Just like Tikiri before him, the animal to keep his body cool,” skin, which is fashioned into jewellery. fatal for an elephant,” Arachchige he will be forced to work until the Dr. Dharmavijaya explained. Conservation organisations estimate said. Pressure sores day he dies. The sole of the foot of nearly 100 elephants are poached Almost all elderly captive Pressure sores traditionally an elephant is not made of a Tusker’s mahout each day. elephants who have spent their known as ‘nidipola’ are caused by substance like a polymer like alpha Nadungamuwa Raja’s mahout Most tuskers are male, with the lives on concrete or walking on lying on hard surfaces like concrete keratin that a human nail or animal Kalu Aiya is 74 years old. He walks largest tusks being targeted for the tarmac have a degenerative for too long and they get infected claw is made up of. Anyone that by the side of the tusker with a bull most ivory. However, most recently orthopaedic condition such as due to lying on urine and faeces for knows how to use Google can find hook and stick in hand. “The tusker tuskers have been found with smaller arthritis and the existence of such a too long. Nadungamuwe Raja is that out. The bottom of an elephant has never been hit by the bull hook tusks either as a protective condition in Nadungamuwa Raja is made to walk 90 km for 10 days foot is made up of a pad of adipose or with a stick. The mahout has evolutionary trait or because larger apparent by his slow gait. “The fact then again in the perahera with tissue covered by a dermis and a these only to control the animal and males have been poached out of the that this hasn’t been officially noise and fire in heavy clothing, keratinised squamous epithelium not to use it on him. The kabara on gene pool. diagnosed is no surprise, as few with the casket on his back and epidermis, very similar to that of his legs are seen by Animal Welfare Elephants suffer in captivity. captive elephants are given any then walk back the 90 km again. what human foot sole pads are Activists as wounds. The tusker Elephants in the wild have one of definitive diagnosis for any Arachchige reiterated the covered of, and are sensitive and was not sent for the perahera in the largest home ranges, often walking condition that isn’t immediately participation in the parade will wear prone to bruises, wounds, cracks previous years because he was in up to 40 miles each day.