Finding solutions to human-elephant conflict in ancient wisdom

Referring to the Doublespeak column by Gamini Weerakoon in the Sunday Times of February 2, one would be inclined to come to the conclusion that, though admitting to be no expert on wildlife, he has magically, in his penultimate column, proverbially “hit the nail on the head.” It is frequently prudent in such problems to peep into the past and discern how our illustrious ancestors solved them. That’s what history and literature are studied for.

To give credit to our previous generations, there is a tree of the “uguressa” family similar to the same in every way except that it has branching thorns almost the size of two- inch nails all over its stem. I have had personal experience of this tree in my ancestral home garden but it was removed to cut a bigger tree right beside it, which had to be removed for a charitable purpose. In fact, a tamed elephant passing in front of the home had to walk avoiding it.

There is also the reference in a Sanskrit classic in my possession with the jawbreaker name

of “Vidhagdhamukhamandana” which raises the question of a jungle which elephants don’t tread as a classic riddle. The answer as given beside it is “a jungle full of trees called

“madanawathie”.

Intrigued by the name I sought the name in another text which said it is a synonym for the tree called “kukurumuwan” which gives a fruit used to cure haemorrhoids in indigenous medicine!

These are only two of the trees that can be used to prevent elephants from crossing to agricultural lands or places of human habitation. There are other such trees too which I have seen along the Ahungalla coast which have such a tangled stem-cover that it would be impenetrable to elephants.

The basic question, however, is the inability or reluctance of the authorities to delve deeply and exhaustively into the rich literature of our culture in toto when even the literature taught in schools has been artfully and irretrievably abolished.

Dhanu

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