Do you like elephants? Have you ever seen one in real life? Maybe there was a time when you visited a Nature Reserve like Yala or Udawalawe with your family where you got to see elephants in the wild, frolicking in the water and baby elephants playing happily. The Sri Lankan elephant is an endemic animal, which means it’s only found in Sri Lanka. There are lots of types of elephants around the world; you may have seen the African elephant with its large ears and bigger build while the Indian elephant is much smaller like our very own elephant. As much as we love elephants, there are lots of problems because of elephants in our country.
Elephants love to roam the countryside and forage food. Sometimes what happens is that they enter villages and create lots of problems for people which results in destructions in villages and people’s paddy lands being destroyed. We can’t blame the elephants either, villagers keep clearing the forests to build new villages and these elephants as a habit enter these new villages looking for food.
The villagers have to protect themselves and sometimes use traps like hakka patas to scare away elephants. Hakka patas is a cruel device where explosive substances like dynamite is hidden under food or fruits, the poor unsuspecting elephant eats the food only to have its jaw injured in a cruel way. The poor elephant practically starves itself to death unable to eat food and from the damage done to its jaw.
What a terrible turn of events don’t you think? The wild elephants of Sri Lanka are running out of places to call their home and are being unnecessarily killed while the poor villagers who already live under terrible circumstances are having their fields damaged and houses raided by the elephants.
Even though we are children, we can still help. First, we can learn more about elephants and understand why they leave their forests and most often, it’s because their homes are being destroyed. We can then teach others—our friends, families, and schools—about treating animals with kindness. We can make posters, drawings, write essays or songs and spread awareness on the plight of elephants and the humans involved.
We can also try to invent new ways to help elephants in the best way we can. For example, our cover story this week features a talented young inventor who has done an immense service to the elephants and the community through his invention; which you can read all about it on page 4. You can also join or start nature clubs at school to plant trees, clean the environment, and support safe ways to keep elephants and people apart, like building strong electric fences or growing crops elephants don’t like. Most importantly, we can speak up with love and compassion, reminding others that every animal deserves to live safely.
Elephants are not our enemies—they are cute, strong and intelligent, they are our wild neighbours and part of what makes Sri Lanka so special. Let’s be the voices of kindness, wisdom, and peace. If we care today, we can build a safer tomorrow for both elephants and people. When children show kindness and care, it inspires adults too. Together, we can help both elephants and people live in peace in this blessed land of ours.
See you next week !
