Group, several things to keep you updated. Some decent news from the High Court, that ruled to keep the baby eles with the wildlife department until the next date on 6/22/2016. The High Court hearing went well. The baby eles are with the wildlife department until at least until the case is called up again on Wed 6/22/2016. The High Court said that each baby ele will case will need to be investigated independently. It appears that the pressure may be working now that Sri Lanka is realizing that we are aware of their secret of corrupt officials working with poachers and temples to keep stealing and abusing baby elephants to bring in tourist money. Additionally, the wildlife department chief submitted his resignation to the Wildlife Minister because the chief was pressured to allow illegal activities regarding elephants and he would not. There is a public outcry because Sri Lankans who care about wildlife were pleased when he took the position only a few months ago. The Wildlife Minister has not accepted the resignation and this may have been a strategy by the chief to shine a light on the corruption in the government and force the Wildlife Minister’s hand. Here is the article summarizing: http://www.dailymirror.lk/110703/Why-did-Wild-Life-Department-chief-resign- WHAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO: Please continue to increase awareness. Some of us are posting this information on tourism pages and we could use more help! This is having an effect! You may need to post this information as a comment to an existing post so that others planning to visit Sri Lanka will see it: Some facebook pages to post on: https://www.facebook.com/tourismsrilanka.gov.lk/?fref=ts https://www.facebook.com/srilankatourismsri/ https://www.facebook.com/search/1398864787034595/local_search?surface=tyah https://www.facebook.com/ElephantVolunteerPinnawala/info/?entry_point=page_nav_about_item&tab=page_info https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pinawalla-Elephant-Orphanage/123362821122997 EXAMPLES of information to post: [The tourism industry and illegal use in the logging industry is killing the elephants. Also temples demand that the elephants be provided for the peraheras (seasonal religious festivals and parades). If there are not enough eles to satisfy the monks, more baby elephants are stolen from the forest. Many believe that the peraheras are the worst cruelty. Elephants have very sensitive ears and the drumming is painful for them, the torches and fireworks are terrifying for them and they have to do all this walking while being heavily drugged with sedatives. The Kandy Esala Perahera is the worst offender and celebrated as among the best attractions that Sri Lanka has to offer.] [Here is a baby elephant chained up and starved for the perahera. They are starved so they don’t defecate during the events. Note these events can go on for days. https://www.facebook.com/elephantsmustroamfree/videos/356688234520902/ ] [Watch beginning of perahera. https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=say%20no%20to%20cruelty%20to%20our%20elephants%20of%20sri%20lanka A drugged Elephant gets scared and stampedes and is tranquilized. Forward to 2:15 in video. But tranquilized too much and they use firecrackers to try and get the animal up. The mahout also hit the animal so many times with a bull hook that the leg became infected and this animal that should have lived for 80 yrs in the wild and produced offspring died at age 25. Here is the related article: http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2016/03/20/jumbo-issue-rumbles-on/ ] [The Pinnalwala elephant orphanage is a scam. It tries to be a breeding operation to get tourist money, and to supply temples and peraheras but these eles cannot breed well, because they are abused so there are actually illegally wild caught eles here that were purposely orphaned to get tourists sympathy and money. There were only 3 baby elephants born to captive mothers at Pinnawela breeding center. Therefore anymore babies there are likely illegally wild captured.] Thank you for your help and action for Sri Lanka's elephants!