Day 4 - Pullarimuththo

I heard a riveting piece of history from my host's older sister. She is a senior farmer with a great memory of the village and area. As we both sat down under the Jak fruit tree infront of my house, she began to tell me how they have lived alongside wild elephants for a long time in peace. She recalled how wild elephants known as "Pullarimuththo" (term used to indicate respect for the elephant) used to listen to the plea of farmers back then and leave if asked kindly. However, times have changed and people have forgotten how to speak with elephants.

Visited the Attulawewa (a man made tank), to the north of the village. It is used by both Pattiyawela village and Nebadawewa village for paddy field irrigation, mostly during the Yala season (dry season in Anuradhapura). These tanks are hotspots for wildlife, including elephants as it is a shared resource.