Get out of my Way!
Reported by Dr. Dharmasena Kuruppunayeke. (M.D.)


 
Elephants normally don't speak the language of humans. A recent stint at the Udawalawe elephant sanctuary proved otherwise. My wife Ranji and her niece Nilani with her father Leslie decided to spend the New Year at the National Park at the South East corner of Sri Lanka called Udawalawe. This is a park that is home to about four hundred wild elephants. We were able to see elephants of all ages. Mother elephants were nudging their infant calves in tight formations of the herds fearing the fate of many baby elephants who had ended up shackled by cruel people for their exploitation. The young elephants were quick to trumpet their calls of bewilderment at the sight of strange humans. The experienced and mature adults were there momentarily to assuage the startled youngsters. They were trying their best to show how gregarious a community they were by displaying their best behavior to us. An occasional loud sigh was all we heard as a warning to us not get too close to coy baby elephants. Skulking teenagers nudged away from us by the more experienced mothers and fathers.
They were not shy to show off their loud trumpet calls declaiming to us the joy of being in the wild. The elephant calls echoed the freedom of the wild from all directions. The elephant babies careened around the protective mothers and their extended families. The full grown and robust males took soothing baths in the fresh ponds in the shades. Entire families with their frolicking babies stood idly enjoying the comfort of the water in the hot sun. As we trundled along the mud tracks furrowed by the incessant travel of the jungle jeeps the elephants lumbered along for us to get a full view of them. Was their unhurried, staid way a necessary foil against the relentless hurried pace of humans? Among the many elephants who gave us ample time to acquaint with their ways of happy living was one who wanted to show us what happens when we overstay their grace. The lone elephant who gave us way by sidestepping and made a feint of drinking water from a wayside berm returned to the mud track to resume his evening lumber since we were not moving on fast enough. Even as we started stalking him in our noisy jeep he feigned a side kick with his right rare leg first. He continued his sauntering undaunted by our presence at his heel. Meanwhile another group of curiosity seekers in a tall jeep was approaching head on. The lone pachyderm kept his pace. At last when he found himself wedged between two noisy jeeps full of camera- snapping humans he thought it was time for him to yield to the intruding human presence, but not without showing his discontent. And he gave one last kick with his right front leg but not to do any harm. It was all in good jest!

Dr. S.M.Dharmasena Kuruppunayake (M.D.)

Photos taken by Udaya Govinna