Sri Lanka It's Happening

June 29, 2005

A media minister once said buy a journalist a bottle and he will write anything you ask him to. Those who have ever read the business pages of the Sri Lankan newspaper can readily agree to that. They carry nothing more than thinly veiled press releases.

Todays newspapers carry a front page article with a full color photograph of some obscure businessman donating 'decorations' for the Elephants on the Kandy Pageant. Journalists care nothing about animals, they cannot fail to have seen the cruelty that the Elephants who are forced to take part in these pagents suffer.

The fortunate ones are transported to Kandy in open trucks. They only have to put up with the smoke from the ancient diesels that ply our roads for a little while. The not so fortunate walk their way to Kandy in the hot sun. You can fry an egg on the surface of the road but the elephants wear no shoes.

Once they arrive in Kandy they are 'decorated' made to where clothes. Elephants are very sensitive to changes in temperature that's why they like to spend long hours immersed in water. Just on the odd chance that the Elephant is feeling comfortable the decorations are adourned with flickering lights. The lights of course need a generator or a heavy duty battery and the elephant is made to tug it along as well.

Then comes the event itself, the poor animals are made to parade through crowded streets in the midst of other elephants and hundreds of human participants. To capp it all an occaisional bystander or a participant will attempt to pluck a hair from the Elephants tail for they valued as good luck charms.

Posted by raditha at June 29, 2005 3:35 AM