Why not in Pakistan?
The thirst for heritage and cultures around the world drove me to Sri Lanka this time. Categorised as one of the wonders of Asia, I was really stunned to see the country as I landed at the airport. Hospitality at its peak!
Landing in Colombo, I observed the patience, courtesy, law obedience, knowledge, signages, booklets, tourist print material and a lot more that is a must for a tourist place and above all respect for senior citizens. For a moment I compared the place with our Lahore Airport and I was saddened with what we offer, only the porters running after passengers and teasing them to the height of irritation. The only TDCP center is also locked and no tourist material is found anywhere. Anyhow, getting back to my topic, I took on my journey through the narrow roads with smooth traffic flow and tolerance for pedestrians. That was again something I wished for in my country.
Fortunately, the driver I found was a well trained tour guide named Chaminda. For some time I had difficulty in pronouncing the name, but soon I got hold of it. He was no doubt well trained and a real story teller. All his tales and myths about Sri Lanka paved way into my mind and soul. I thought how he is showing the love for his job and country to me which is again contrary to what our people do in Pakistan, always complaining!
I had never imagined so many elephants at one place and since I love elephants I could not resist jumping out of the car
I was on my way to Kandy, about 100Kms from Colombo, in his company, which was an experience in itself. The journey was startling because of the monuments, the royal train tracks and the well preserved railway stations of the British era. While heading towards Kandy my first stopover was at Pinnawala, which is a famous spot of Elephant Orphanage, and I am an admirer of nature and wildlife, though I photograph architecture.
I had never imagined so many elephants at one place and since I love elephants I could not resist jumping out of the car. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is a large widespread open space where the elephants roamed, which was what I had wished to see. The guide (my driver) told me that the orphanage was established in 1975 to protect the orphan elephants rescued from the jungles of Sri Lanka; initially seven elephants were brought to this orphanage and fed with care. Today dozens of them are living with their own babies born in the orphanage, but these baby elephants are no more orphans but protected by local and foreign elephant experts.
I was lucky to reach there early in the morning and saw the elephants bathing and being fed. This seemed much more natural, a sight beyond imagination. Many elephants were taken to the nearby river for a bath. There was even a baby elephant, which just lay down in the water in between the huge elephants without any worry of getting trampled. The elephants are taken to the river twice a day for a bath. Also you can feed these elephants (with a bottle or fruits — this is a paid activity). All the babies less than three years of age are bottle fed by the mahouts and volunteers. The baby elephants are so adorable and playful that you can spend hours with them, enjoying their cute activities. This is a great place for elephant lovers.
Nearby was a village with shops which made paper from elephant waste, it was very interesting as they explained the process. I thought by purchasing an item I would surely help the elephants a little and contribute towards saving our wildlife.
This is one of the best success stories in the world on saving the wild elephants. I really enjoyed the elephant gathering there, specially their bathing time and feeding time. There are almost hundreds of male and female elephants from over three generations.
The aim of the orphanage is to simulate a natural habitat to these elephants. Each animal is also given around 76kg of green matter a day and around 2kg from a food bag containing rice bran and maize
The aim of the orphanage is to simulate a natural habitat to these elephants. Each animal is also given around 76kg of green matter a day and around 2kg from a food bag containing rice bran and maize. The orphanage which boasts to have the largest herd of captive elephants in the world is very popular and visited daily by many Sri Lankan and foreign tourists.
The exciting scenes made me sad again and again as I could not help myself comparing it with my country. I am a lover of Pakistan and I want my country to flourish by all means. Tourism is one thing which should be handled more sensitively now.
Why can’t we have similar initiatives in Pakistan? We read so many species becoming rare which include Asian black bear, mountain sheep, fishing cat, Kashmir muskdeer, markhor, red deer, wild goat and a huge list of marine animals is also there. why cannot the government or any private organisation take some initiative to save them and start on similar attractions like Sri Lanka. I am sure many animal lovers would pour in for this cause.
I hope my writing makes a difference and awakes the nature lovers. We can wash away our negative image by taking small initiatives and promoting them through media. We should also put a strict ban on hunting the poor animals, they are not created to be killed, and they are here to add to the beauty of the nature and our surroundings. Let’s see who comes in first to help the rare species of Pakistan.
