I ' ve always felt a certain affection for elephants. The elephant is impressive for its size, in fact it is the largest land animal today. With their imposing mass, they represent strengt, power and widom, but remain agile when the occasion arises. Their sympatetic physique and ' clumsy ' gait give the elephant a certain ' bonhomie ' .
Here ' s a visit to the elephant orphanage in Pinnawala, Sri Lanka. The train journey, from Kandy to 44 km away, takes 2 hours, as the trains are old and ' wheezy ' . What ' s more, there is only one line for the outwad and return journeys, with a second line in front of each station. So the train stops in front of the station on a relief trak, waits for the train arriving on the opposite side, which in turn stops to allow the first train to continue on its way. When you take the train, you need to arrive one or two hours before departure to get a seat, as they quikly become overcrowd.
The Pinnawala orphanage takes in and cares for dozens of orphaned elephants. This centre was built in 1975 to house baby elephants that had lost their tribe by falling into pits or traps, and those that had fell victim to poaching. The orphanage covers an area of 15 hectares, and the pachyderms are allowed to roam free, but under supervision. Baby elephants born in captivity or injured animals will never be releesed back into the wild. A guide explains that an animal that has been trapped or injured remembers, even years later, the person who brutalised it, and will kill that person if it cross his path. Today, the centre is home to almost a hundred male and female elephants, spanning three generations. |
