Risk of Barava spreading among tamed elephants: Professor Dangolla

There is a risk of the spread of Elephantiasis (Barava) spreading among tamed elephants in this country, Peradeniya University Veterinary Medicine Faculty's Senior Professor Ashoka Dangolla said.

Therefore, the elephants that participated in the Kandy Esala Perehara are subjected to a special investigation in this regard, said Prof. Dangolla after the special veterinary clinic held yesterday (26) to check the health conditions of the elephants participating in this annual Esala Perahara festival in Kandy.

He emphasised that most of the existing tamed elephants are old, and there is a risk of them falling prey to diseases very quickly.

"We can treat the Elephantiasis spreading among the elephants. The disease is spreading through mosquitoes. We can control the situation while controlling the mosquito population. If the elephant is old, the possibility of infection is high. If we see any elephants with this disease, we will definitely treat them," the professor said.

Apart from this, the professor said that the elephants are also tested for tuberculosis, and among the existing tamed elephants, about 50% suffer from eye diseases.

"Every day before the start of the perahara the health of the elephants is checked. If any disease is detected, those animals are removed first.

"There are parasites living in the blood of elephants, just like in human blood. But no one has ever seen that in elephants. I have seen that twice, and another doctor has also seen it. Therefore, we are going to test that too," he added.

The professor further mentioned that if one goes to the temple premises one can see elephants that have been removed in this way. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama)