Drunk driving laws make sense. Operating a motor vehicle while under the influence is dangerous. But Sri Lanka is taking public safety a step further – a big step further – by announcing a ban on riding an elephant while intoxicated.
“The person who owns or has the custody of such elephants shall ensure that the mahout is not consuming any liquor or any harmful drug while employed,” Wildlife Protection Minister Wimalaweera Dissanayake said on Thursday.
The South Asian country boasts 200 domesticated elephants as well as an additional 7,500 in the wild. Some of those are used for transportation, as tourist attractions, or in the film and television industry. But additional restrictions are being put in place to curb the use of pachyderms in the country. A couple of those include prohibiting more than four people riding the elephant simultaneously and requiring those who do ride to use a padded saddle – intended for the elephant’s comfort, not the riders’. Law-breakers could face up to three years in prison in addition to having their elephants seized by the government.
We don’t object. Elephants have long been one of the more abused exotic animals of the world. We’re just bummed that drunk elephant driving will no longer be a thing, given that we never got to experience it. It kind of sounds like the perfect opening scene for another installment of The Hangover, doesn’t it?
Cover Photo: Matthew Micah Wright (Getty Images)
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