W E E K E N D LIFE CHINA DAILY MARCH 10 - 11, 2007 5 Trumpeting a jumbo gift Young elephant Migara is a special gift from Sri Lanka to the Chinese people. Ye Jun fi nds out about his life at the Beijing Zoo

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa gives 5-year-old Migara a sugarcane during a ceremony to present him to the Beijing Zoo on February 26, marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Sri Lanka. Wu Zhiyi

igara has no appetite climb above 35 C. On top of that, Bei- and would have to leave his herd at Beijing. He has taken naps while for vegetables grown jing hardly provides any fresh grass Migara used to ‘steal’ this age even if he were in the wild. standing.” in Beijing, such as or leaves, Migara’s favorite food, in other calves’ pellets, An Asian elephant has a life span The authorities are trying their cabbages, lettuce and this season. of 80-90 years. “We picked Migara best to get him his favorite food. They carrots. But he likes The temperature in Beijing Zoo’s a kind of special because he was the best among the transported 1,500 kilograms of fresh whatM his neighbors eat: bamboo 50-square-meter elephant enclo- elephants of his age,” Rajapaksa grass and leaves from Guangzhou and nutritious food prepared shoots and stalks. sure is 16-18 C. The authorities said. “He is healthy and friendly to Nanning of southern China, said Li. You’ve guessed it right, his neigh- have installed six 1,500-watt elec- for pregnant and sick people.” At 57, he has been working at the zoo bors are giant pandas. tric heaters in Migara’s “room”. An elephants and calves. It Though Migara’s grandparents for 27 years. And Migara is a fi ve-year-old ele- underground heating system keeps means he is healthy and were born and lived in the wild, his “But he still eats a little fresh bam- phant, Sri Lanka’s gift of friendship to the floor warm, and even the roof, mother was born at the orphanage. boo shoots and stalks borrowed from China. Sri Lankan President Mahinda originally 13 meters high, has been has a good appetite. We His father was born in the wild, too, the Panda Garden, sugarcane, some Rajapaksa formally presented him to lowered to 5 meters to keep him picked Migara because but lived at the orphanage. “Migara fresh grass and leaves, bananas and China on February 26 to mark the as warm as possible. Every effort has always been playful,” Rajapaksa apples. He takes his pellets made from 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties is being made to keep the “room” he was the best among said. He described one naughty habit corn regularly, though.” between the two countries. temperature around 25 C. the elephants of his age. of the elephant with a chuckle: “Mi- The zoo hopes Migara will gradu- Migara is still a bit tense. In fact, “Temperature difference and gara used to ‘steal’ other calves’ ally begin eating the locally grown he has been in Beijing Zoo since Feb- change in food are the two biggest CHANDANA RAJAPAKSA pellets, a kind of special nutritious vegetables because fresh grass and ruary 15, after the 6.5-hour journey problems for Migara,” says Pin- Veterinary surgeon at Pinnawella food prepared for pregnant and sick leaves are very costly. There are from Colombo to Beijing. nawella orphanage’s veterinary sur- Elephant Orphanage elephants and calves. It means he fi ve other elephants in the zoo, two Perhaps the change in tempera- geon Chandana Rajapaksa, who was is healthy and has a good appetite, African and three Asian. Elephants, ture and the new environment are to here to help the elephant settle down and it should not be seen as a bad in fact, have been a regular feature blame. Beijing Zoo is very different in his new environment. 970-kilogram elephant “has been habit.” of the zoo ever since it was built in from Migara’s environs in Sri Lanka. Set up in 1975, the orphanage has eating properly and is in good physi- Four mahouts accompanied 1906. Apart from the vast expanse of land 84 elephants. It was built to house or- cal condition”. Rajapaksa to Beijing, two of whom “We are sure he will get along where he used to roam and play, phaned or injured calves found in the Migara is the third elephant to be are still at the zoo, and will leave with the other elephants. If every- Beijing’s weather with the mercury jungles of Sri Lanka. The country has gifted by Sri Lanka to China. The fi rst, for Colombo on March 15, when thing goes smoothly, visitors will dropping to -9 C last week is making about 5,000 elephants in the wild and a bull elephant presented in 1972, is Migara’s month-long quarantine be able to see Migara anytime after him feel out of place. around 200 in captivity, used usually in Tianjin to the southeast of Beijing, ends. “We think Migara is doing mid-March on a day that is warm, The Pinnawella Elephant Orphan- for religious festivals. and the second, a female gifted in well here. His physical condition sunny and windless and when the age, 90 kilometers north of Colombo “He is eating very little hay, and 1979, in East China’s Shandong is as good as it was back home,” outdoor temperature rises to 12 C,” and Migara’s erstwhile home, has nothing from local vegetables,” says Province. the surgeon says. said Zhang. a half-wild environment, where Li Peifu, head of a six-member team “Raising the previous two was “Normally an elephant lies down A 30-year-old female elephant elephants are raised in herds. The of Chinese elephant keepers at the easier because they were less than at night to sleep for six to eight hours might accompany Migara on his average temperature in Sri Lanka zoo. But despite missing his favorite one year old, and they reached Beijing every day,” says Zhang Jinguo, deputy public debut, because usually an older is 27 C almost throughout the year, food of fresh grass and leaves, the in summer,” Li said. director of Beijing Zoo. “But Migara elephant takes care of the young by and in summer the mercury can 1.5-meter tall, 1.8 meter-long and Migara has a small pair of tusks, has not lain down since reaching nature, said Zhang.

Left: Chandana Rajapaksa (left) and his colleague from Pinnawella Elephant Orphanage have left Beijing while the other two mahouts stay until March 15, when Migara’s month-long quarantine ends. Lu Zhongqiu Right: Mahouts prepare Migara for the ceremony on February 26 at the Beijing Zoo. Courtesy of Beijing Zoo

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