‘Villy’ the elephant in the villu

Saturday, 1 February 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Srilal Miththapala Visitors to Wilpattu National Park would be familiar with ‘Villy’ the ‘vill-aliya’ often sighted in at Panikka-villu and Tala-villu. He is a big, tall male, possibly about 25-30 years of age, in prime condition with the only blemish being a damaged tail without tuft hair, possibly broken off in a fight with another elephant.

Villy stays submerged in the villus for most parts of the day, patiently pulling out the succulent weeds growing in the water, which he continually eats right through the day. The most intriguing and interesting characteristic of Villy that is clearly seen is a heavy white de-pigmentation of the end of his trunk, earning him the nick name ‘the elephant with the white trunk’. This is however, not an albino characteristic, but possibly due to bleaching, as a result of prolonged emersion of his trunk in the mineral rich waters of the villus.