Sri Lanka to donate baby elephant to Philippines

A herd of Asiatic wild elephants gathers at a national park in Minneriya, some 200 kilometers from Colombo, Sri Lanka. AP

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—Sri Lanka will donate a baby elephant to the Philippines to mark the golden jubilee of bilateral relations between the two countries, an official said.

Government spokesman Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said Thursday that the Cabinet has approved a proposal to donate the elephant from a government-run elephant orphanage to the Manila zoo.

Sri Lanka’s first national survey of wild elephants last month put their population at 5,879, more than previously estimated. That included 122 tuskers and 1,107 calves.

Wildlife officials say the figure shows that the species has a healthy and growing population on the Indian Ocean island.