Culture elephants in Sri Lanka has a long and rich history. Docile, gentle animals that can be easily trained, for centuries been used as a "workhorse." Indian elephant, in general, holds a special place in the Buddhist and Hindu religion, culture and traditions of Sri Lanka. In ancient times, elephants were considered the property of their governments Sinhalese kingdoms, and killing the elephant was a terrible crime. After the fall of the last dynasty of monarchs and Sinhala occupation of the island (first the Portuguese) by the British in 1815, the new government encouraged the killing of elephants for the sake of "sport." Hunters generously rewarded for every killed animal. The once almost sacred animals declared pests, to morally justify-universal carnage. In the early nineteenth century there were more than 19 500 elephants, and by the early twentieth century, they remained at about 2000 individuals. Most of the animals were killed mercilessly exploited or exported as working animals. In 1951, the population of elephants was 1,500 animals.
increasing population of the island, the remaining animals had to move away from their natural habitat. The problem is not only for Sri Lanka, in most Asian countries, the assimilation of low-lying areas forced people to leave the elephants in the mountains. However, in Sri Lanka mountainous areas developed for the cultivation of cinchona, coffee and tea. Future of beautiful giant seemed desperate. Animal-welfare advocates, concerned about the high mortality rate among animals and endangered species, have sounded the alarm, encouraging government agencies to create laws to preserve the natural heritage of Sri Lanka. The law of conservation of wildlife have become a real force in 1938, it tightened in 1964, and by 1970 issued a decree that all the domestic elephants were to be registered.
In 1975, the Department of Wildlife Conservation of Sri Lanka opened a shelter for wild elephants in Pinnavela, north-west of the city Kegal. The original function of the shelter - provide protection and care of young stock for the balance caused by poachers orphaned in the wild. Part of the elephants - victims of civil unrest in the country. So one elephant lost her front leg, stepping on a landmine.
Today Pinavella - the largest home of elephants in the world, popular with tourists from all over the world, no less popular than Portugal, with its amazing nature, for this reason that today many consider a property in Portugal as future well-being.
Home entertainment - watch the elephants bathing.
Wild conditions are simulated as much as possible. Animals lead to the river Maha Oya for bathing twice a day. On the territory of the shelter, they form a herd. Always at the shelter a few small elephants, which are fed to three years from the bottle three times a day (they eat about seven liters of milk). Incomparable pleasure for visitors to the shelter to feed the elephants opportunity.