Unforgettable - Jeremy Head will always remember his encounter with elephants

Last night the Intercontinental, tonight a mud hut by candlelight, drinking neat Black Label Scotch, flies buzzing around my face. "You might not see elephants. I can't guarantee it," Lars tells me. He fell in love with Sri Lanka when he visited as an anthropology student. "I had a dream to make a living from tourism with minimal impact on the environment," he explains. Once he found Tree Tops he never left, ending up becoming its new owner.

There are around 2500 wild elephants in Sri Lanka - compared with 12,000 at the beginning of the 20th century. Although these remarkable beasts hold a special place in Sri Lankan culture, their future isn't assured. For farmers who have to borrow heavily to buy seed, a visit from an elephant to their paddy field spells financial ruin. An elephant chomps through 250 kilos of vegetation a day. That's nearly four times my body weight.

© Jeremy Head 2004

(This is a sample paragraph)

Total words: 2500
Available for syndication to non-UK territories
Good quality transparencies available (email:syndication@jeremyhead.com)

< Back