Majesty caught for posterity

Wildlife photographer Vajira Wijegunawardane launches his book ‘Sri Lankan Elephant: A celebration of Majesty’

By Cheranka Mendis

 To elephant fanatics all around the world, Sri Lanka is the place to be. Home to Asian elephants, Sri Lanka is famous world over for these large mammals which symbolize the culture, tradition and history of the Lankan people.

 A major tourist attraction, the animal is loved by a cross section of people both locally and internationally. Listed as endangered species by the global Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES), Sri Lanka is home to 10% of the Asian Elephant population in a 2% geographical range. With stories of deaths and killings of elephants making it to print almost on a weekly basis, conservation of the species is a must in today’s society.

 In an attempt to record and register the species, wildlife photographer Vajira Wijegunawardane recently launched his book ‘Sri Lankan Elephant: A celebration of Majesty’ at the 80’s Club to an audience of wildlife enthusiasts. The publication which includes over 200 photographs portraying the many facets of elephant behavior from their near human display of emotions to their instinctual animal responses is priced at Rs. 4600. The book includes moments captured in spectacular lighting, of elephants sparring and fighting for supremacy, calves just being calves and rare tuskers in all their grandeur as never seen before. The photographs are widespread and include those that have been taken at locations ranging from the wildest outreach of the dry zone forests and national parks to the many irrigational reservoirs and reserves spread throughout the country and places very few people have ever been to.

 Wijegunawardane stated that the book is one of the very few that showcases elephants in both their natural wild element and in captivity. The book, a product of almost 15 years of photography, has been in the author cum photographer’s mind for years and was transformed from a book that was originally supposed to be about general wildlife to elephants. “Initially I wanted to publish a book about general wildlife in Sri Lanka but was driven by the fast decrease of the elephant population of the country to go forth with a book about elephants,” Wijegunawardane said. “The book also shows the beautiful landscape of the country making this an ideal book for elephant lovers as well as patriots.”

 Wildlife photographer Rukshan Jayawardene also speaking at the event stated that the species is facing a real crisis with limited land availability. The elephants in Sri Lanka can range from anywhere between 3000 and 5000 since recording of data is not an easy task. “It is hard or impossible to save elephants outside the protected area therefore it is important to raise awareness. If our generations fail to save these creatures, our children will ask what we did when we had the chance,” said Jayawardene.

 The photographs have been captured with Canon SLR cameras, with the predominant use of cannon camera lenses ranging from 70-200mm f2.8 ii to 600 f4.