Saved in Sri Lanka

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Pinnawala

Straightening her shoulders and glancing at her watch one last time, Sepalika walked toward the ticket counter of the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, making sure with one sweeping glance that her group had assembled. She handled the process of ticketing and gave her introduction speech, filled with a short moment of pride because her country-an insignificant speck compared to the towering India-had been the first in the world to establish an orphanage for elephants. 

"Founded in 1975 by the Sri Lanka Wildlife Department, this orphanage off Rambukkana has been a home to nearly 150 elephants up to now, some of them born here. The National Zoological Gardens reserves this sanctuary on 24 acres of land for wounded elephants, unprotected females with their offspring, orphans, and the occasional troublemaker who has been caught and transferred to be part of this ever-growing family." 

She made her round, handing out the tickets. 

"Pinnawala also serves as a breeding place, and it holds more captive elephants in one place than anywhere else in the world. More than 60 elephants have been born here over the course of time, and the orphanage currently shelters between 70 and 80 elephants. Do you want to know another reason why it's so special?" 

Pausing for effect, she glanced at the expectant faces in front of her and continued, "This orphanage is simulating the conditions in the wild. Instead of being chained and locked up, the animals can roam more than 10 acres of grassland freely most of the time. They adhere to a herd structure, and are well-fed. Every day at 8 o'clock in the morning, the baby elephants are bottle-fed with special milk formula. There are two bathing breaks at 10 am and at 2 pm, where the herd is led to the nearby river and washed for two hours." 

She motioned ahead, where a well-trodden path led into the semi-wilderness. 

"We will now walk to the plains where the elephants spend the majority of the day before they are taken to their stalls at around 5 to 6 pm and can enjoy another round of feeding before the night." 

Plastering her winning smile on her face, she asked, "Are there any questions?" 

A skinny boy of about ten, his nose burned as red as a carrot, looked at his mother and then shyly at her. She increased the wattage of her smile, and he stuttered out his question. 

"What...what do they eat?" 

"Unimaginably huge amounts of grass and leaves. They love coconuts and bananas too. Rice bran, corn, jackfruit, as well as the logs and branches of the kitul palm tree are also added. Altogether, they need to feed on about 75 kg of green matter daily, plus the rest of the food I have mentioned, sometimes with seeds and minerals added in for good health. As you will see in a short while, they are almost always eating-or sleeping. Sounds like the perfect life, doesn't it?" 

Sepalika earned herself the expected laughter for her remark, donned her white sun hat, and led the way along the path bringing them closer to the gentle giants. 

After a few steps, she could feel somebody step into place beside her. When she looked up, she nearly stumbled. 

Her Irishman. No, wait, she should call him Daniel. He wasn't hers, for crying out loud! At a loss for words, she waited for him to start the conversation, and it seemed to take him forever. 

"You're good at your job." 

Happiness flushed her face, but she stopped herself from feeling proud. 

"I'm not sure I deserve the compliment. I do my best, and it's not exactly a difficult job because it's full of routine. Once you know the facts, you lapse into auto mode. I could walk the walk and talk the talk blindly or in my sleep now, I guess."