Tikiri, the Srilankan elephant which shook the world when photos of her starved body surfaced on internet died on Tuesday.
Tikiri was among 60 elephants who were forced to march at the Esala Perahera festival in Kandy every year. In August, the Save Elephant Foundation (SEF) posted photos of her, highlighting her torture. The hapless elephant was forced to march for miles for the Buddhist festival in Sri Lanka despite her fragile and starving state. Her cruel owners would cover her weak body with a colorful parade costume so no one would see her protruding ribs. A spokesperson for the Buddhist temple said Tikiri had a digestive system disease which made her skinny. However, SEF activists say she was not given the care needed for an aged elephant.
Disturbing photos which revealed how the owners had hidden her suffering sparked outrage last month. Following the outcry, she was returned to her keeper in Rambukkana, a village close to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. But she was unable to recover and died yesterday afternoon. Her skeletal body was for the last time photographed lying on a pile of rubbles.
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