A group of elephant owners accompanied by about 25 elephants today staged a demonstration opposite the Wildlife Resources Conservation Ministry at Battaramulla and handed over a memorandum to Minister Vijith Vijeyamuni Soysa.

They complained about the hardships they faced in the absence of a scientific method to establish the ownership of elephants in case of a dispute. They proposed that the registration of elephants should include their DNA profile so that accurate records of domesticated elephants could be maintained. 
The minister who accepted the memorandum said steps were being taken to maintain records of all domesticated elephants so as to prevent disputes over ownership. Pix by Nisal Baduge, Siri Mahabellana