News

An elephant experience

8 April 2008 / Metropolitan Police

Jessie Coote from the Met's Wildlife Crime Unit recently spent a fortnight as a volunteer at Sri Lanka's famous Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.

Jessie spent two weeks in January at the orphanage as a voluntary project worker. Her duties included mucking-out the elephant enclosures and washing some of the smaller elephants.

The Elephant Orphanage is a refuge for some of Sri Lanka's injured or abused elephants and is currently home to a herd of over 80 animals, including some that have been born into the herd.

Other members of the herd include an old bull elephant left blinded by a poacher's bullet and a female missing a foot through trauma, possibly a landmine or poacher's snare.

Jessie says of her experience, "It was a fantastic experience to be so close to the elephants and watch them interact with each other.

Tackling the illegal trade in products made from endangered species here in London, it can be easy to forget that the items we seize represent animals that were once living in the wild.

Working with these beautiful, intelligent creatures reminded me what the Wildlife Crime Unit is trying to achieve, and why it is so important to prevent the illegal trade in commodities such as ivory"