Worked to Death: Elephant Riding in Sigiriya
After learning that an elephant collapsed and died from exhaustion at a popular tourist spot in Sri Lanka, we used our visuals from a year earlier of the same elephant being ridden by tourists, to share his story with international press to raise awareness.
40+ Media Stories
internationally
656,000 Video Views
across social media
1 Full Page
printed article
The Issue
Moving Animals documented at the popular tourist trail in Sigiriya, where two elephants were being worked to exhaustion in the heat. These elephants were kept tightly chained and were under the constant threat of a sharp bullhook. They were forced up and down the same busy roads in the heat, whilst carrying groups of tourists sitting on a heavy seat.
Impact For Change:
We then worked with animal-rights charities PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and Open Cages, to shine a light on Sri Lanka’s elephant riding industry and engage audiences worldwide, with videos shared across both of the group’s global affiliates.
An additional video was produced by the Daily Mail, and the overall awareness campaign received shares from public figures including Otara Gunewardene and Gemma Collins.
This international exposure also landed the issue of elephant riding into the biggest Sri Lankan news outlets both online and in print, including the Tamil Guardian, the Colombo Gazette, Ada Derana, and the Daily Mirror SL.
Kanakota’s Story
Kanakota was just 18-years-old when he collapsed from exhaustion, after giving back-to-back tourist rides in the Sri Lankan heat on the Sigiriya tourist trail. After laying down, he closed his eyes and never woke up.
After learning of his death, Moving Animals worked with Sri Lankan activists, including Otara Gunewarde, to translate the Sri Lankan news story and make sure that Kanakota’s story was told by over 40 mainstream international media outlets, to help raise awareness and prevent other elephants from suffering the same fate.
Use these visuals
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