A herd of Asiatic wild elephants gather at a national park in Minneriya, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, Aug. 12, 2011. Thousands of wildlife officials and volunteers have taken up positions on treetop huts near reservoirs and watering holes for Sri Lanka's first national count of its dwindling wild elephant population. Sri Lanka closed all its national parks to tourists for the census starting Thursday and sent nearly 4,000 wildlife workers, farmers and villagers to more than 1,500 locations across the country to survey the elephants as they come to water sources for a drink. Officials believe Sri Lanka's elephant population is currently 5,000 to 6,000.
Section:Photo
