page_title: Sri Lankan elephant
section_title: Humans and elephants
hierarchical_section_title: Sri Lankan elephant / Humans and elephants
caption_attribution_description: President Jayewardene of Sri Lanka presents a baby elephant to President Reagan and the American people on the south lawn.
context_page_description: The Sri Lankan elephant is one of the three subspecies of the Asian elephant.
  The other two subspecies are the Indian elephant and the Sumatran elephant.
  The Sri Lankan elephant is the largest of the three subspecies. They are about 11 feet tall, and can weigh up to 12,000 pounds. They eat leaves, shrubs, grasses, and other plants.
  This subspecies is the National animal of Sri Lanka and is native to the island country. It once lived over the entire island. They now live in the dry zones in the north, east, and southeast. These zones are mainly dry deciduous woodland, scrubland, grassland, and marshes. There is a small group in the rainforest.
  Sri Lankan elephants are sometimes working animals. They carry timber, transport passengers, and participate in public events like the Procession of Buddha's Tooth. They were many of them in the past. They were aggressively hunted.
  In modern times, these elephants can be seen in Sri Lanka's national parks and elephant orphanages. They have been declared an endangered species, and are protected by law. Killing one carries the death penalty.
context_section_description: See also: Crushing by elephant
  In the distant past, Sri Lankan elephants numbered in the hundreds of thousands. They lived in all zones of the island. They were aggressively hunted by Sri Lankans, other Asians, and Europeans. 
  In the 19th century, a British officer was said to have killed 1,500 elephants. Other British officers held similar records. Between 1829 and 1855 alone, more than 6,000 elephants were captured and killed. 
  In 2014, there was an estimated 4,000 elephants living on Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan elephant is protected under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance of Sri Lanka (FFPO), and killing it carries the death penalty. 
  Sri Lankan elephants are important to the economic and cultural life of Sri Lanka. Some are working elephants. They are used to carry timber. These elephants are losing their jobs because tractors are replacing them. 
  Elephants can be seen in protected areas and national parks. These elephants attract tourists. This trade improves the economy and the lives of Sri Lankans. 
  The elephant has always been held in great cultural esteem in Sri Lanka. Rajah, a Sri Lankan elephant with tusks that nearly touched the ground, was declared a national treasure in 1985.
  Sri Lankan elephants participate in ceremonies, processions, and other public events. The Esala Perahera (the festival of Buddha's tooth) is held annually in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is thought to date to the 3rd century BC. Elephants lead the procession, bearing the sacred tooth.
caption: President Jayewardene of Sri Lanka presents a baby elephant to President Reagan and the American people on the south lawn of the White House in 1984.
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