In this July 5, 2016 photo, a tamed elephant rests in a pool of water by a road in Baduraliya, a village outside Colombo, Sri Lanka. Even as the country cracks down on illegal ownership, the enduring demand for elephants has the government planning to set up its own pool of captive animals to be hired out to temples for ceremonies and maintained with budget funds. (Photo by Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo)

Sri Lankan participants control their bulls during a traditional cart race to mark the Sri Lanka National New Year in Homagama near Colombo on April 23, 2017. The new year marked by both the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil population fell on April 14. (Photo by Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP Photo)

Sri Lanka officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in the northern Indian Ocean off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. Known until 1972 as Ceylon Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest.

A decorated elephant march at the Navam Perahera, a Buddhist pageant of elephants, dancers and drummers, in Colombo February 3, 2015. Over 50 elephants participated in the street parade for Gangaramaya temple's annual Perahera festival, along with a nightly procession of traditional dancers, fire twirlers and traditional musicians. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)

Sri Lankan flood victims flock around a bus to receive food parcels on a inundated road in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, May 17, 2016. The Disaster Management Center said that 114 homes have been destroyed and more than 137,000 people have been evacuated to safe locations as heavy rains continue. (Photo by Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo)

A fisherman throws his net to catch fish in a lagoon in Batticaloa November 24, 2015. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)

A man helps another make his way through deep mud at the site of a landslide at the Koslanda tea plantation near Haldummulla October 30, 2014. Hopes of finding survivors under the mud and rubble of a landslide in south-central Sri Lanka had run out by first light on Thursday, though a government minister cut the estimated death toll to more than 100 from 300 the previous night. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)

Army soldiers prepare a military elephant for the parade during a rehearsal for Sri Lanka's 68th Independence day celebrations in Colombo, February 2, 2016. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)