Surathala the elephant, is the victim of abuse at the Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya Buddhist Temple in Sri Lanka. Video was taken of Surathala being beaten by his mahout, or handler, with a bull hook, at the temple. The pictures above are stills from the video. He also has huge gaping wounds on his back legs from chains that have rubbed and cut into his skin, and is suffering from a head injury, due to a fall.
The temple has a history of abuse, and three of their elephants have died due to a combination of hard labor, not enough food, and beatings. In Sri Lanka, it is customary for the government to gift elephants, usually babies, to temples and private individuals. The government has continued to gift elephants to the Kotte Rajamaha Viharaya Temple with full knowledge of the deaths of the three elephants. They are disregarding their animal welfare laws and putting the wants of the temples first. Sri Lanka is primarily a Buddhist country, so they along with the temples, are also disregarding the teachings of Lord Buddha.
