Elephants have had a special place in the lives of the Chipperfield family ever since they shipped their first herd from Sri Lanka in 1947. Over the following two years, 25 elephants arrived in Britain and helped transform their small circus into the largest tenting show in Europe.
Mary Chipperfield, whose mother accompanied these animals on their voyages, visits Sri Lanka for the first time to find out about the elephant population today.
She meets the Director of Wildlife Conservation, Lyn De Alwis , at Colombo Zoo, observes herds of wild elephants in the Gal Oya National Park, working elephants at a logging camp near Kandy and rescued baby elephants at the orphanage in Pinnewala.
Film recordist graham ross
Film cameraman NORMAN SHEPHERD Film editor ROBERT BATHGATE
Producer IAN CHRISTIE. BBC Scotland