Along the Buttala-Kataragama road in Sri Lanka, a wild elephant believed to be over 40 years old performs the duties of a toll collector.

The elephant, known as Raja, meaning king by the locals, stands by the roadside but quickly grabs a vehicle coming from both sides and immediately demands food.

Raja is patient. He realizes that anger only drives people away. So, after parking, Raja calmly uses his massive trunk to feed the drivers and after some negotiation, albeit unsuccessfully, the food items are offered to him. It’s an efficient business — only Raja seems to be at the helm.

Started as an innocent foraging by Raja, it has now become a full-fledged tradition. Many drivers buy fruits and bananas in advance from small shops along the road from Lunugamwehera to Sellakataragama in anticipation of meeting elephants, especially Raja.

The Buttala-Kataragama road is a major road connecting the west coast of Sri Lanka to the southeast coast. Flanked by wild untamed jungle on both sides, this route is popular with locals and foreigners alike who seek the joy of connecting with nature in its inner glory.

Despite causing considerable trouble on the road by blocking vehicles, the locals treat the Raja with respect and submit to his dictatorial policy of ‘tax collection’.