Elephants Biology & Physiology

Healthy and young male elephants usually suffer from a glandular disorder known as musth, a word derived from the Hindi masthi (intoxicated).

It is an abnormal and frenzied condition which makes the animal to become boisterous and dangerous.

During this period, the temporal glands on either side of the head above the cheekbones, discharge a thick, dark and odourous substance of bitter taste. As the liquid drips down the cheeks and enters the mouth of the elephant, it becomes restless and sexually active.

On the other hand, the scent of the 'musth' attracts the female. Although it is considered as a prelude to mating, even those not in 'musth' also mate, which is typical of four-legged animals, but the duration of mating is very short which does not exceed more than five minutes, or even less.

The period of gestation is about 20 to 22 months (the longest among land animals) and the life-span of an elephant rarely exceeds 70 years.

An average elephant eats about 300 lbs. of green food per day. Unless on the move, it spends most of the time in filling its belly, which is similar to a wasteful factory consuming more fuel than necessary.

The intake of water is also high, and an elephant siphons about 20 gallons of water at a time by making use of its trunk. During drought, herds of elephants move in search of water to quench their thirst and also to squirt water over their bodies beaten by the hot sun.

The large scale destruction of wild life began with the British occupation of the island, and led, inter alia, to the scarcity of the tuskers valued for their ivory.



Major Roger, who served as an Assistant Government Agent, testified that he had "killed at least fourteen hundreds elephants, including sixty tuskers, which was his sport. His house was filled with ivory, and at each door of his verandah stood huge tusks."

Before the advent of the British, the Dutch who occupied the maritime provinces, smuggled elephants through the Jaffna peninsula to India, where they were highly valued.

The Ceylon Wild Life and Nature Protection Society was established on May 23, 1894, 'to prevent the elimination of games in Sri Lanka, by the destruction of animals for trading purposes', and especially the elephants killed to procure their tusks.

The Wild Life Department was created in 1948. The Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (Cap. 469), has provision to deal with the protection of elephants. Under the law, it is a punishable offence "to shoot, injure or capture any tusker or elephant without a special permit from the Warden."

The milk of the elephant is very rich in its nutritional value. Therefore, no man or any other animal can drink it. According to Dr. Ian Sanderson, the formula of a single meal of elephant' milk constitutes "6 bottles of fresh cow-milk, 1/2 bottle of ghee, 27 eggs minus yolk and 2 measures of boiled rice."

Such a composition is hard to digest in view of its strong quality.