COLOMBO: A Hindu religious festival in Sri Lanka turned chaotic when an elephant participating in the procession panicked, causing 13 people in the crowd to sustain injuries as they fled the scene, police said on Sunday.
Video footage circulated on social media captured the dramatic moment when one of the elephant’s keepers attempted to calm the angered animal by pulling its tail, while panicked devotees lining the streets hurriedly sought safety. The procession featured elephants adorned in vibrant red, blue, and gold robes, with the sound of clanging cymbals echoing through the air.
The incident occurred during a religious procession in Kataragama, located 280 kilometers (175 miles) south of the capital Colombo. According to a police spokesman, thirteen persons were transported to the Kataragama hospital and treated for minor injuries. All injured persons were discharged by the following day, as confirmed by a hospital spokesperson.
In Sri Lanka, elephants hold a sacred status, often participating in traditional temple ceremonies despite concerns raised by animal rights advocates about their welfare. Criticism has mounted against the use of elephants in loud and crowded environments, where the animals can become stressed or agitated, leading to incidents.
This is not the first time such events have resulted in chaos and injuries. In August 2023, a similar situation unfolded in Kandy, where several pilgrims jumped into a lake to escape agitated elephants, resulting in injuries to several persons. In a separate incident in 2019 in Colombo, seventeen people were injured when elephants ran amok during a temple festival.
Official records indicate that Sri Lanka hosts approximately 200 domesticated elephants, alongside a wild population estimated at around 7,500.
The government has banned the capture of wild elephants but dozens of calves have been stolen in recent years, often after their mothers were killed by their captors.
