Elephant Myths-02

Elephant Myths-02

Peeps at Many Lands (Ceylon)

By Alfred Clerk.

When Ceylon belonged (only the coastal areas) to Dutch, the capture of the elephants for sale was one of their principal sources of revenue. The operations were carried out in the south of the island, where elephants then swarmed, over 200 having been captured in a single drive.

The system is still followed not by the Government, and the old Dutch name still applied to it. Elephant kraals are now got up by the Kandyan chiefs (sick), in honour of newly appointed Governors or of royal visitors (sick) to the Island.

The system employed is to construct of tree-trunks (the beginning of environmental degradation, coupled with Tea plantation which the author fails to record) of strong enclosures called kraals into which herds of elephants are driven by hundreds of shouting (sick) men armed with spears, and provided with tom-toms and other noise producing instruments (pathetic).

(Panamura Ath Raja-King Elephant of Panamura was killed by a state member called Mola Mure (he was a heedless and headless, Kandyan chief) who was the speaker, then. 
He died in the speakers chair/chamber (good on him, god willing)).

These men are sometimes engaged for weeks in the forest rounding up elephants till all is ready for the final drive.

Stands are erected near the great gate of the kraal and here ladies (probably psychopathic) and gentlemen, invited to be present (I believe they had to pay for the entrance) sit for hours waiting more or less patiently, while the herd is slowly and carefully brought up. When the great movement arrives a tremendous uproar of guns, tom-toms and human throats (this is how our ancient politicians learnt how to speak in the parliament) is raised and the terrified elephants come crashing out of the forest, pause for one moment at the sight of the stockade and then rush through the gate (of no return), huddled mass of huge black forms, the gate bars (reminder of the Jurassic Park) are dropped behind them and the pleasant, leisurely life of the jungle is ended for most of them.

As soon as the herd is enclosed, tame elephants, carrying men expert in noosing, enter the kraal and one by one, all the YOUNG and SALABLE animals are secured and dragged out. The aged and infirm elephants remaining are then allowed to escape.

(There is no victory parade, though).

The imprisoned elephants are generally too cowed to give any trouble but occasionally an old bull or more often a cow with the young calf (present day Buddhists shoot the mother dead, in our Pollonnarwa District with the patronage of powerful politicians) will show fight and charge the stockade and has to be shot to prevent it breaking through. It is curious fact that the men riding the tame elephants inside the kraal during the noosing operation are never molested by the wild ones, though it would be easy for them to pull the men off and to trample them to death (probably they practice “Metta” to these devil incarnations).

The training of the captured elephants is a simple matter.

They are secured by ropes on fore and hind legs (and staved to fatigue) to strong trees and are left to struggle (exhaustion) till they are thoroughly exhausted themselves (equivalent to American water-boarding).

Many animals kill themselves through internal ruptures of the violence of their struggle to capture (note no escape).

They also suffer terribly from leg sores (fested in no time) caused by chafing of the tether ropes. 
This is how we capture the elephants to carry the casket (only the casket, mind you) of the Temple of the Tooth and decimated the population from 60,000 or more before the British to barely, 2000, now.

200 are killed each year.

The time is running out. 

Historical records indicate from ancient Egypt (5000 years ago, slavery stated in Egypt both for animal and human) to present India and Ceylon they were used for warfare and not for religious (it is mythology) activity.

These poor captive animals (including Pinnawala) have no democratic rights, freedom or choice but only modern day SLAVERY in the name of glorious religion.