Those who neglected elephant Kalana ... produced before courts

Those who neglected elephant Kalana ... produced before courts

Basnayaka Nilame's secretary and the mahout of Devinuwara Sri Vishnu Devala have been taken into custody for not having provided the necessary facilities to elephant Kalana of the said devala and were released on bail yesterday. The two of them are Colombage Sunil Shantha and Dhanushka Leel Kumara.

The suspects have failed to change the iron chain attached to the elephant and as a result the animal's leg was badly wounded and thus was in pain and medical attention in that respect too had not duly

been attended to, police explained to courts. A judicial report too has been requested from the National Zoological Department about the health condition of this elephant Kalana. The two suspects were produced before court under the animal health and protection act.

After it was reported by the media that elephant Kalana is suffering in pain with a large wound in the front leg, deputy minister of Wild Life Preservation, Mr. Palitha Thevarapperuma arrived at the devala premises day before yesterday (27) and examined the elephant. Subsequently the deputy minister contacted relevant security officers and after having gone to Gandara police had asked that law be enforced in relation to the harm done to the elephant. The two suspects were then taken into custody.

It was in 1990 decade that former President Ranasingha Premadasa gifted this cute elephant cub named 'Kalana' to the sacred Devinuwara property. Kalana who spent its time playfully for several years was a proud specimen which took part in peraheras in the area and the annual Esala perahera too. On reaching its young age began hauling logs of timber in a short time and had to go to Kurunegala as if by a twist of fate. Former Basnayaka Nilame Mr. Dishan Wickremaratna Gunasekera having come to hear of the tragic instance of elephant 'Abhaya' (gifted by former President Chandrika Bandaranaika Cumaratunga to the devala) had fallen from a hill with a log while engaged in carrying logs and had died, managed to bring back Kalana to the devala without delay after a big struggle in the process. From there onwards Kalana and Lasanda were retained there and even a swimming pool was built in order to keep them in a satisfactory condition.

At a later stage though Kalana took part in other peraheras when Esala Perahera season was drawing nigh it lost its opportunity to take part in the Esala Perahera because of its mating season and as a consequence it had to stick to one solitary tree being tied to it during the course of several years. Because of this very reason it had to forego the opportunity of spending time in bathing as and when it wants in the swimming pool and indulging in water sports, for months. It was in a painful environment that Kalana whose legs were chained from the front and rear both  had to spend its life with just eating something thrown towards it or by gulping down some water offered through a water pipe. If Kalana would be fortunate enough to get an environment to live in freedom as an animal should, it certainly would be a great fortune.