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Sri Lanka mandates id cards for elephants, no drunk riding

Logging elephant working hours fixed at up to four a day

elephant-ceremonial-onam-ap Representational image | AP

Sri Lanka has issued strict orders banning elephant riders from drinking on the job, limiting the number of hours that an elephant can be put to work each day, and mandating photo id cards for elephants.

As per the new extra gazette notification issued by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Wildlife Protection Wimalaweera Dissanayake, a series of restrictions have now been introduced to protect elephants’ welfare. These include barring elephant mahouts (riders) from consuming liquor “or any harmful drug” while employed, the introduction of a biometric identity card for elephants, and reducing the number of people who can ride on an elephant at once to four.

Other labour restricting the number of hours an elephant can be put to work in a day to four and barring night work altogether. In addition, logging elephants must receive a two-and-a-half-hour bath each day.

The regulations also call on mahouts to use “minimum force” to deal with elephants behaving violently or disobeying commands, and bars harmful drugs that cause “unnecessary pain or oppression” to control elephants.

The regulations call for “traditional methods” for controlling elephants and bar the use of “sharp weapons, fire or any anaesthetic drug” to train, control or take care of elephants.

The penalty for violating the new regulations could include having the elephant taken into state care and the violator being slapped with a three-year prison sentence.


The regulations come as the country holds a spectator-free edition of the annual Randoli Perahera (The Festival of the Tooth), which includes a procession of elephants. Around100 elephants are expected to participate in this year’s festival, which will be broadcast virtually in a bid to prevent crowds, given the COVID-19 situation.

The Perahera is held between August 14 to 24 in Kandy.

As per official records, Sri Lanka has around 200 domesticated elephants with a wild population of about 7,500.

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