President of Sri Lanka Tourist Hotels Association shares his love for and knowledge of elephants

Srilal Miththapala, president of the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, is a wildlife and elephant enthusiast, and he was recently invited to give a talk on elephants of Sri Lanka at the Asia House Foundation in London last month.

Asia House was founded in London in 1996, and it is the leading non-profit, non-political, pan-Asian organization in Britain. It aims to promote appreciation and understanding of Asian countries, their arts, religions, and economies, and to foster closer communication between the peoples of Asia and Europe.

In his presentation, Srilal first gave an overview of the natural beauty of Sri Lanka and tourism. He then spoke about the close ties that the elephant has had through the ages with Sri Lankan culture and Buddhism. He explained the anatomical features and behavior of elephants and went on to discuss at length the human-elephant conflict and the various mitigation efforts being tried out. There was a lively Q & A session, and the evening ended with a warm fellowship sponsored by Sri Lanka Tourism.