Sri Lanka smashes trafficking ring that stole 40 baby elephants and sold them to super-rich for US$125,000 each

A senior conservation official and seven others have been charged with 33 counts of capturing and possessing baby elephants

If convicted, the eight would face jail time of up to 20 years in the ‘first ever elephant trafficking case in [Sri Lanka’s] legal history’

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In Sri Lanka, having a baby elephant at home is considered an ultimate status symbol by the wealthy. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:27pm, 25 Jun 2019Updated: 4:55pm, 26 Jun 2019

A senior conservation official was among eight people in Sri Lanka charged on Tuesday in a landmark case where dozens of baby elephants were captured and sold to the wealthy as status symbols.

Wildlife experts say about 40 calves may have been stolen from their herds during a 10-year period and sold for around US$125,000 each.

The deputy director of the wildlife conservation department, Upali Pathmasiri, and seven others were charged with 33 counts of capturing and possessing baby elephants in 2014 to 2015, state lawyer Nishara Jayaratne said.

It is the “first ever elephant trafficking case in our legal history”, Jayaratne said. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in jail.

The calves were believed to have been stolen from their herds in 2014-2015. Photo: AP

The practice stopped when the current government came to power in January 2015 and launched a crackdown. Recovered animals were moved to a state sanctuary for elephant orphans.

The super-rich consider having a baby elephant at home as the ultimate status symbol. It was also a tradition by aristocrats to keep the animals, which are paraded at Buddhist temple festivals.

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