President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said that he strongly believes that the country needs a herd of tamed elephants as it is part of our culture of Perahera tradition, the President’s Media Division said. It said the President instructed the officials to hold discussions with the owners of the tamed elephants in formulating conditions for the regulation and conservation of tamed elephants. “Maha Sangha highlighted that both Maha Sangha, as well as the government, are responsible in upholding and preserving the Buddhist cultural heritage. “By the 1980s, the number of tamed elephants in Sri Lanka was between 300 and 350. “The owners of the tamed elephants noted that it takes about 3 years to train an elephant or a tusker to take part in a perahera.

Source: The Nation March 12, 2021 15:33 UTC