Riding an elephant drunk lands you in jail, according to new laws

You may be a little shocked by this: so many Sri Lankans keep elephants as pets. So because of them being domesticated and being kept for labour and tourism activities, they now will officially have their own own biometric identity cards. The are going to have IDs, guys! 

This is definitely a cool concept in terms of animal protection law. More of these new measures include having the nature guides or anyone riding the animal to be sober whilst doing so. It might seem like a far fetched law, but when you randomly get breathalysed at some point while on an elephant and they find that you have alcohol in your system, you have broken the law. 

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These new laws follow after the increased number of complaints about ill treatment and cruelty of the endangered animal. The records, according to ABC News, have shown that there are about 200 domesticated elephants in the South Asian nation, with the population in the wild estimated at 7,500.

The new laws for elephants in Sri Lanka continue as follows: 

• All owners to have new photo identity cards with a DNA stamp for animals under their care.
• Baby elephants can no longer be used for work, even in cultural pageants, and they cannot be separated from their mothers.
  
• No more than four people on an elephant at once, and they must sit on a well-padded saddle.
• Elephants are also banned from being used in films except for government productions.
• Elephants used to haul logs will be limited to working no more than four hours a day, and night work is banned.

READ MORE: Three elephants put down after escaping KZN reserve

Wildlife Protection Minister Wimalaweera Dissanayaka shared with ABC News that there would be strict veterinary supervision when the elephants were used for government productions. 

Adding to these rules, owners are supposed to send their animals for a medical check-up every six months.

Breaking these new laws will have one's elephant taken away into state care and the owner could face a three-year imprisonment.

We love the elephants, especially Keri Miller, so this is long overdue. 

Main Image Courtesy: Supplied