‘Sadly, our numbers are growing due to the war, which I’m sure you all know about. Now that there is a ceasefire and a chance for peace, my rangers are making trips into the jungles of the north and east, to rescue these gentle giants from those terrible Tigers.’ He lingered on the word ‘tigers’, elongating the last letter. It sounded like he had mosquitoes in his mouth.

‘When we find the orphans we can integrate them quickly into the herd. Female elephants are very community-minded, and when a mother dies, another mother in the herd will adopt the calf. She will feed and protect the calf as if it was her own.

‘We offer them a home here—more than simply food and shelter. We offer them a chance to recover from trauma, and to rebuild their herd, their family, through our internationally renowned breeding programme. Are there any questions yet?’ He looked around.

‘Where are the bulls?’ Sunhat Lady raised her hand politely, revealing an intricate brown henna design on her white palm and wrist. She wore an embroidered gauzy blouse, shaped like a short kaftan, over cotton pants. The blouse clung to her fulsome body when the breeze strengthened. She hadn’t noticed but the mahouts had.

‘We keep them in a separate section at the far end of the compound. The tuskers, or the bulls with tusks, are each kept alone, with their own mahout. We do this for your safety of course, madam.’

Sunhat Lady took her hat off. Her perfect ash-blonde hair was arranged in careful layers and hid the years well. Smrithi guessed she was in her fifties. She instinctively tried to tidy herself.

‘She had a colour, wash and blow-dry at the Colombo Plaza before she left Colombo this morning,’ Prashanth whispered. Smrithi smacked him.

‘Do the elephants get to choose who they mate with in your breeding programme?’ Sunhat Lady asked, this time revealing more of her accent.

‘English and moneyed,’ Prashanth whispered again.

‘I’m sorry, madam, I don’t understand the question …’

‘Do the elephants get to choose their partners?’ Sunhat Lady asked again. Smrithi looked down. ‘I mean, it seems awfully cruel. You said some of these elephants have been through a war. I just thought it would be kinder not to force a partner on them and let them choose or breed more naturally.’

‘Ah yes, I see. Well, here at Pinnawela, we try to mimic the habitat and the, how shall I say it … the rituals of life that occur in nature. We create a safe environment and we allow nature to take its course. In this way, we successfully bred fourteen calves last year.