• Photographer, conservationist, and Cinnamon Nature Trails VP Chitral Jayatilake on the dire need to manage over-visitation 

Every year, between this month (July) and October, over 300 wild elephants converge on the banks of the ancient Minneriya Tank, creating one of the largest Asian elephant gatherings on earth. It is a phenomenon shaped by centuries of seasonal rhythms, and one that is now at risk. 

On ‘Kaleidoscope – Let’s Talk’, photographer, conservationist and Cinnamon Nature Trails Vice President (VP) Chitral Jayatilake shared powerful insights on this majestic spectacle, why it matters for Sri Lanka, and the urgent need to protect it. 

In another first, a Sri Lanka Wildlife Festival is being organised in the United Kingdom (UK) by the Sri Lankan High Commission in the UK, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts, and the Wilderness and Wildlife Foundation. 

Following are excerpts from the interview:

What is the Sri Lanka Wildlife Festival in the UK about?

The festival came about from a casual conversation between Dushyantha Silva, who heads the Wilderness and Wildlife Foundation. The Foundation has five amazing people who do a lot of research on wildlife. 

We initially thought that we’ll take this concept to London, England, work with the Sri Lankan High Commission, and create a limited exhibition in London for the market. But then, we broached the subject with the Deputy High Commissioner Manorie Mallikaratchy, and she said: “Sri Lanka is much more than a limited exhibition – why don’t we think bigger?” 

We then came up with the concept of creating an event called the Sri Lanka Wildlife Festival. It begins on 15 July with 65 events showcasing Sri Lanka’s biodiversity from across the island. 

What makes the ‘elephant gathering’ in Minneriya one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in Asia, or even the world? 

Countries which like to shine as a tourist destination long for events like this. They create small events to make a statement. But, Sri Lanka has it on a silver platter. Way back in 2001, ‘Lonely Planet’ classified this event as the sixth greatest animal congregation in the world. It was a huge story that had a lot of potential, but, at the time, the tourism fraternity didn’t grab the chance to capitalise on it. 

Over the years, the Minneriya ‘elephant gathering’ has been almost as predictable as the ‘great migration’ in Africa. It’s an amazing event. Another positive feature is that for 90% of tourists arriving in Sri Lanka, their first point of destination is Habarana, Anuradhapura, and Sigiriya to see the cultural sites. And, this event is just 20 minutes away.  

What is the ecological significance of having so many elephants in one spot in the dry zone? 

It’s a man-made event. Researchers like Dr. Preethiviraj Fernando and Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya state that water bodies like the Minneriya Tank were never built to serve animals. They were built by ancient, wise kings to serve mankind. But today, they serve both humans and beasts alike. 

So, it’s an amazingly man-made, delicate balance between human lifestyles and facilitating animals to survive around them. However, this beautiful balance needs a little bit of help or intervention by humans, so that we may continue to have that magic forever. 

How has the seasonal water pattern of the Minneriya Tank influenced elephant behaviour over the decades?

Well, the water management for irrigation is done across the island by the Irrigation Department. There’s a national Water Management Committee, which does a great job releasing water where necessary for the farmers. 

For the sake of the farmers, there needs to be a certain water level at the Minneriya Tank so that it’s good for cultivation. The key is to not release too much water, because with too much water, the Tank wouldn’t recede during the mid-year drought, which is what attracts the elephants there. 

The whole ‘gathering’ is about the receding water revealing fresh grass and impending rains. A lot of intervention has been done by amazing scientists to make sure that a compromise is reached. 

What are the biggest threats that this ‘gathering’ faces, both natural and human? 

Imagine if all of us humans believe that cultivation is more important than this event? It would affect things seriously. It did get affected quite badly about four years ago. This spectacle, within which you generally find over 300 elephants, was down to less than 75 elephants that August. The numbers climbed again, but, that’s one threat that’s very real. Of course, it would be easy to solve the problem. It requires consensus by everyone to keep the event going. 

The other threat, to some extent, is badly managed tourism, overcrowding, and indiscipline in the parks. Fortunately, these are all things well within our capacity to manage. We just have to put our heads together and make sure that we keep this magic going.

How do you balance having this ‘gathering’ as a tourist attraction on the one hand and protecting the elephants and their habitat on the other?

Elephants are not territorial. They are nomadic.  They need to feed and walk about. With the support of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), we placed tracking collars on the matriarch elephants to monitor the herds’ movements. We found that every two months, they move a distance of about 50 kilometres (km) to 70 km away from where they were two months ago. About 100 elephants have been collared. 

Scientists are now conducting research and mapping out their movement patterns and visitation patterns. What we ideally need to do now is to ensure that new villages don’t come out in these areas where the elephants live. 

While we have to facilitate life for human beings, we also have to protect this spectacle. If everyone works together, all that is needed is a little bit of compromise on the humans’ part and national level interest to keep this spectacle alive.

Do you find the same elephants coming to the Minneriya Tank, or is there a change often?

About 80-85% of the elephants seen this year will come next year. Through the Cinnamon Elephant Project, which we’ve been doing for the last 11 years, our team has, along with other guides, identified more than 450 elephants, by name and by the pattern of their ears, shape and scars, seeing how they keep returning. 

The elephant is a very intelligent animal; its brain development, when they are born, is only second to humans. They learn through experience. That is why it’s difficult to restrict them by just putting an electric fence and ignoring them. They’ll find a way to overcome it. 

Six months ago, we lost a big male called the Unicorn – a single tusker. He had been coming there for the last 15 years, every year. His passing was very tragic. But, two months ago, another magnificent male had an accident on the road and lost one of his tusks. There was a lot of concern whether he would survive, and he did. Now, he has replaced the single tusker that we lost early. 

Nature has her own ways of filling the gaps when something is lost, but it’s up to us to make sure that everything stays that way. 

In your decades of tracking wildlife, what changes have you observed in the herds that gather at Minneriya?

There are minor changes. Large animals like elephants are driven by basic needs. They need food and water and space to reproduce. Their lives are simple. But, those basic needs must be met, which means that they must have space to live their lives. 

There are times where there are over 200 jeeps in the Minneriya area, where columns of jeeps, packed with tourists, block elephants from moving towards the water. These are simple things that we can fix with discipline and with the right systems. 

Overcrowding and over-visitation need to be addressed, because we should never allow our national parks to become a victim of their own popularity. 

What exactly is being done to stop the overcrowding and the bad behaviour seen in the parks?

There are some interesting strategies deployed by the DWC regarding over-speeding, going off the road, etc., but, sadly, there is not much being done regarding over-visitation. Now, this is something that we’ve discussed for the last 15 years. 

For us in the tourism sector, experience is everything. It’s not about showing 200 elephants amongst 150 jeeps; that’s not an experience. It’s good for a first-timer who doesn’t understand what a wildlife experience is about. That’s not the wildlife tourism that you want to come into.

We want tourists who pay top (United States) Dollar, and to bring them in, we need to manage the experience. And, to do that, all the related authorities, departments, agencies, and the private sector must come together and enact change. 

Do you think that there will be a possibility of replicating the Minneriya ‘elephant gathering’ in another part of the island? 

Scientifically (and amazingly), the replication is already done by nature. When I was in my late teens and early 20s, I used to travel to these areas with my father for photography. 

What we noted was that elephants, if you give them ingredients of fresh grass, water, and some shrub forests to hide in the midday, they will gather. So, Sri Lanka actually has multiple gatherings, but, the branded event for tourism happens in Minneriya-Kaudulla. If you just move several km west, you can see even more events like this already taking place. 

What do you see next for the Minneriya ‘gathering’ – both good and bad? 

From a tourism perspective, it’s all about creating and managing the experience, and doing it in such a way that you attract the very responsible, serious wildlife tourist. 

Last year (2024), I had the opportunity of bringing some international experts to see the gathering, but, they weren’t too impressed with how it was handled by the agencies and the authorities. 

About 120 jeeps driving on one road towards the elephants, and after watching them for 30 minutes, the same set of jeeps would travel back on the same road to get out of the park. It seemed insane and my guests asked me why we didn’t have an exit road to drive out of the park. These are simple things.

I admire the Government and the DWC for doing an amazing job managing the welfare of the animals, but, a component of tourism is also thrust upon them, because national parks are tourist destinations. I feel that we need to have someone in charge of wildlife tourism inside of these departments so that both sides of this equation are managed with equal care and with collaboration. 

(The writer is the host, director, and co-producer of the weekly digital programme ‘Kaleidoscope with Savithri Rodrigo’ which can be viewed on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. She has over three decades of experience in print, electronic, and social media)