To Sri Lankan Elephant Friends, I would like to offer an update to this petition and to ask you to email, tweet, etc the sample letter below. This is detailed because I believe information and transparency are crucial. This update includes a picture of baby Ganga, who was stolen from the wild and confined in a notorious temple, to be clear who we are working for. Yes, those are chains on the front and back legs. First, thank you for supporting the elephant calves and for your willingness to publicize the circle of corruption surrounding and killing Sri Lankan elephant calves that were illegally captured and tortured. Our work on this issue must continue because the criminals and illegal owners are well-connected. The next major court date is June 9th, 2016 for the court to decide if the baby elephants continue to stay safe or are returned to illegal owners and abusers. Note, the illegal owners make a lot of money by leasing out the baby elephants for pageants and there are many, many ceremonies and pageants through the summer and fall. The illegal owners consider the elephants money makers until they die, and then they capture more. This has been going on for years, and is why wild elephants are on the path to extinction. Please don't support any activity with a captive elephant. Please only visit elephants at a true sanctuary or from a distance in wild. A Stay Order was issued, until 9th June 2016 - for the 18th and 20th May 2016 Orders issued by Colombo Magistrate Court No.1. The baby eles are the custody of the Dept of Wildlife Conservation and the investigations carried out by the Criminal Investigation Dept (CID) are continuing...Much thanks to the Attorney General's Dept for the timely initiative in filing the Revision -- and a great team effort was made by the stakeholder network. WHAT WE CAN DO NEXT: Before this June 9th hearing, we are asked to SEND and SHARE far and wide! Please TWEET as well! ‪#‎ElephantTortureSriLanka‬ ‪#‎ElephantSlaverySriLanka‬ Please COPY and PASTE this letter on behalf of the Illegally Wild Captured 100+ BABY Elephants in Sri Lanka and use the e-mail addresses below: sumithcpilapitiya@gmail.com dg@dwc.gov.lk paminister@gmail.com meegasmulla@yahoo.com dmalsinghe@gmail.com jayawickrama@gmail.com dumidubandara@gmail.com Additionally, please appeal to these International Orgs and Groups requesting their support in order to strengthen the campaign. info@idausa.org media@idausa.org CIDinfo@peta.org Info@petaasiapacific.com info@bornfree.org.uk info@elephantvoices.org elevisions@aol.com Dear Sir/Ma’am As you may know, there is an increasing trend to capture baby elephants from the wild in Sri Lanka. Irregular records of captive elephants and large-scale corruption is rampant, with disregard for international wildlife laws and agreements. Mother elephants were killed while trying to save their babies being abducted. The abducted babies are kept in abysmally low health standards and are used, abused, tortured, neglected, exploited, chained, and enslaved by untrained and uncaring individuals (mahouts/keepers or captor-owners) without the provision of adequate and the most basic of facilities, not to mention, nurture and care. They suffered so much psychological trauma that at least twenty of them died. One hundred survived and were kept in solitary confinement by their illegal owners. Perpetrators of such cruelty include politicians, bureaucrats, religious leaders, and many so called “pillars of society,” who act with impunity. Elephants are pawns in political games and acts of patronage. Elephant lovers in Sri Lanka have been fighting court cases for illegally captured baby elephants and taking them back to the ETH (Elephant Transit Home, Udawalawe, Sri Lanka) to rehabilitate and finally release them back to the wild with the new herd formed in the home. However, on the 20th May 2016, courts ruled in favour of the illegal owners therefore making a mockery of justice and of Sri Lanka’s leaders. This article provides the facts:http://www.lankaenews.com/news/1344/en There are a number of captive elephants that are being hidden under the cultural veil, for profit. This cruel move by the magistrate has prevented the progress of fully rehabilitating the calves who show all the potential to live in a natural environment once released to the wild. These calves have only each other and that is why they should not be separated again. It is a very lucrative business. They can be hired out for a large amount of money and fed very little. Elephants as you are aware of, are social creatures who learn from the others in their families. The bond between the mother elephant and the calf is one of the strongest in the animal kingdom and it lasts for many years. They walk at least 10-20 miles per day in the wild. All this has been denied to these babies. Instead of this, they were chained night and day (for 24 hours) and kept in solitary confinement. Elephants are keystone and flagship species that can bring prosperity to Sri Lanka without a few corrupt people abusing them for profit. The more elephants in captivity means fewer elephants procreating in the wild. It will lead to extinction of our wild elephant population within a few years. In view of the grave issues detailed above, we kindly appeal to you for your leadership and support in raising awareness among the representatives of the Government of Sri Lanka and members of parliament to urgently prohibit the occurrence of wildlife crime (WC) presently operating at the highest levels. As a matter of deep concern and priority, please stop the baby elephants from being returned to their illegal owners immediately. Please allow the elephants to be rehabilitated and returned to the wild. Thank you your name your country