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Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: herd of wild elephants, 1864. Creator: Unknown
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Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: herd of wild elephants, 1864. Creator: Unknown
Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: herd of wild elephants, 1864. Engraving of a photograph...of the great elephant-catching expedition to a place called Ebbewellepittia...so as to afford the utmost sport and entertainment to their European visitors...the Cingalese huntsmen were keeping up a ring of watch-fires...all round the herd of wild elephants in the neighbouring forest. Sometimes an alarm would be raised when the noble beasts turned and seemed about to break through the circle at any particular point; the men would drive them back with shouts and noise of firing guns...The first elephant which got into the kraal, having drunk too greedily of the pool after being deprived of water for so many days, fell down and died...On the next morning...the interior of the kraal presented a curious scene. The thirsty and famished animals were pacing restlessly to and fro in the tank, or pond, which their feet had churned into a fetid mass of black mud, with the dead elephant lying in the midst. They looked a complete picture of woe and despair. Sometimes one would step to heap the mud over his head and buck in a manner expressive of hopeless misery. Sometimes one would stroke with his trunk the body of his prostrate comrade'. From "Illustrated London News", 1864
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Media ID 38073813
© The Print Collector/Heritage Images
Animal Cruelty Captive Captives Captivity Ceylon Ceylonese Controversial Controversy Cruel Cruelty Cruelty To Animals Dead Elephant Emotional Herd Indian Elephant Indian Elephants Miserable Mourning Muddy Sadness Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Taming Wild
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This print captures a moment in history from 1864, showcasing the intense and dangerous mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon. The engraving depicts a herd of majestic elephants being surrounded by Cingalese huntsmen who are keeping up a ring of watch-fires to corral the animals. The scene is filled with tension as the men use shouts and gunfire to drive back the elephants attempting to break through the circle.
One poignant detail captured in this image is the tragic fate of the first elephant that enters the kraal, collapsing and dying after drinking too greedily from a pool. The rest of the herd, thirsty and famished, pace restlessly around their fallen comrade in what can only be described as an expression of woe and despair.
The photographer has managed to freeze this heartbreaking moment in time, where these magnificent creatures are reduced to symbols of hopelessness and misery. It serves as a powerful reminder of our impact on wildlife and nature, urging us to reflect on our treatment towards these sentient beings.
This historical photograph not only documents a specific event but also evokes emotions and raises important questions about humanity's relationship with wildlife.
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