Sri Lanka Bans "Drunk Driving" Of Elephants In New Protection Law

Many rich Sri Lankans -- including Buddhist monks -- keep elephants as pets to show off their wealth, but complaints of ill treatment and cruelty are widespread.

Sri Lanka will issue captive elephants with their own biometric identity cards and ban their riders from drinking on the job under a wide-ranging new animal protection law. Many rich Sri Lankans -- including Buddhist monks -- keep elephants as pets to show off their wealth, but complaints of ill treatment and cruelty are widespread.  The new measures are aimed at protecting the animals' welfare and include strict regulations around working elephants, as well as mandating a daily two-and-a-half-hour bath for each creature. Official records show there are about 200 domesticated elephants in the South Asian nation, with the population in the wild estimated at about 7,500.