Plans are afoot to release two suckling baby elephants under the age of five years at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage to temples today.

They are the only two tuskers of the 50 baby elephants, Sindhu and Raja, were picked by Diyawadana Nilame Nilanga Dela.

Animals lovers and officials at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and the Dehiwela Zoological Gardens yesterday told The Island that move by the authorities would hamper breeding programmes because the two male elephants were tuskers.

Of the male elephant population only seven per cent are tuskers.