The famous Kandy Esala Perahera procession is one of Sri Lanka’s most vibrant religious-cultural celebrations, which transforms the hill capital into a spectacle of color, music, dance and caparisoned elephants to honor the tooth relic of the Buddha. But as the country prepared for this year’s Esala Perahera, which started on Aug. 18, politicians, Buddhist monks, veterinarians, lawyers and animal welfare advocates are busy debating the future of the country’s captive elephants.

At the center of the controversy is Sri Lanka’s long-awaited Animal Welfare Bill, a draft law that has spent nearly two decades in legal limbo before finally getting the green light from the government in July. Opponents to the bill argue that if it becomes law, it could effectively prohibit the chaining of elephants, making their use in religious processions difficult and threatening the continuation of centuries-old Buddhist ceremonial traditions.

To read the full story visit https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/culture-welfare-and-politics-clash-over-sri-lankas-long-delayed-animal-welfare-law/

Photo credit: Daniel Liabeuf