Rampaging Elephant Injured 18 In Sri Lanka Buddhist Pageant

18 people were injured after an elephant went on a rampage in Sri Lanka Saturday.

The elephant was part of a Buddhist pageant parade in Kotte, a satellite city within the urban area of Sri Lanka's de facto economic and administrative capital city, Colombo.

The Washington Post reported that the video of the parade was seen on Derana Television. The footage depicted that one of the elephants “became violent” and suddenly ran forward. The animal caused panic among onlookers as they panicked, with some “running into an elephant at the front of the procession.”

The rider of animal was thrown off “and narrowly escaped being trampled,” added South China Morning Post.

Sources continued that individuals who were injured during the incident received proper care and treatment at the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital, the Colombo General Hospital and the Sri Jayawardenapura General Hospital.

Officials from two of three hospitals confirmed Monday that 16 had since been discharged. The remaining two are still under observation, one for a “possible abdominal damage” and the other for an “injured ear.”

Also known as The Festival of the Tooth, the Kandy Esala Perahera is an annual celebration that pays homage to the Sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha.

The parade is usually highlighted by elegant costumes, traditional Sri Lankan dances and various cultural activities. One source pointed that elephants are “ornately decorated” with lavish garments, making them a “major attraction.”

These animals have been a part of Sri Lankan tradition for over two thousand years, and it remained to be as such through British colonial rule. From 1875 to 1948, the Ceylon Government's coat of arms featured an elephant, while most Sri Lankan institutions carry the animal in their insignias as well.

Wealthy families in Sri Lanka also own elephants. They usually pride these beasts as a “symbol of their prosperity, pride and nobility.” Buddhist and Hindu temples in the country also have their own elephants that they use to participate in pageants around Sri Lanka.

While the rampaging elephant isn't the first in Sri Lankan history, there is an ongoing friction between humans and elephants. One website referred to it as the “Human Elephant Conflict,” a growing problem in Asia where urbanization is threatening the territory of these animals.

The Planet D wrote that more 50 people are killed by elephants in Sri Lanka every year. Because of this, the country “are mobilizing and fighting back” by executing these animals.