Elephants are more domesticated than you’d expect. Asian elephants often grow up in proximity to human beings and are even worshipped in various cultures. Normally gentle, these enormous creatures are subject to mistreatment. To curb this, Sri Lankan Wildlife Protection Ministry has banned the consumption of liquor and narcotics while handling the animals.
Sri Lanka either rears elephants as pets or uses them to drag heavy logs. Influential people – Buddhist monks and aristocrats – who own these animals were accused of cruelty and exploitation. Elephant experts and animal rights activists have also claimed that more than 40 baby elephants were stolen from national wildlife parks in the past 15 years.
Along with a ban on drunk driving, elephant handlers must bathe the animals for at least two and half hours every day. The animals will require a photo ID with their DNA stamps. They can’t pull logs for more than four hours a day or work at night.
Elephants, if used in films apart from government products, must be supervised by veterinarians. Baby elephants are not allowed to work even at cultural festivals and will remain with their mothers all the time.
Elephants of the tourism industry can only carry four people at a time hereafter. A medical check-up must happen every six months.
In case of violations, the animals will be placed in state care and the owner will receive a prison sentence of three years.
