COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, March 16, 2001: Two leading Indian veterinarians, Dr. V. Krishamurty and Dr. J. Cheeran of the Bangalore-based Asian Elephant Conservation Center, made house calls on over 60 domesticated elephants around Sri Lanka, treating them and giving their mahouts tips on pachyderm care. Largely appreciative of the care lavished on the elephants kept as family pets and status symbols, the Indian doctors were less satisfied about the effects commercial exploitation had on the animals, said Jayantha Jayewardene of the Biodiversity and Elephant Conservation Trust, a non-governmental organization (NGO) which brought the experts to the country. Apart from giving medical treatment to the captive elephants, they also held lectures and demonstrations for local vets and veterinary science students at the world’s first elephant orphanage at Pinnawela. There was a serious shortage of local vets specializing in caring for large animals and vets practicing traditional medicine, Jayewardene said.
A daily summary of world news for Hindus and non-Hindus alike