• Meat supplier yet to be arrested   

The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) has arrested five out of the six suspects responsible for an incident of slaughtering a peacock, roasting its meat, and consuming it inside the Maduru-Oya National Park.

Considering the information presented by the wildlife ranger Henanigala W.M. Kumarasiri Wijekoon, early last month (June), the Mahiyangana Magistrate ordered the arrest of six individuals who illegally entered the said Park and posted footage of slaughtering and eating a peacock on YouTube.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (11), Wijekoon said that, following notifications made by the DWC, five suspects had surrendered to the DWC office in Henanigala on Wednesday (10), after which they had been arrested. A set of traditional hunting tools like bows and arrows has also been taken into the DWC's custody. During the interrogation of the suspects, it has been revealed that the incident in question has taken place in an area within the DWC's limits. He further said that it has been revealed that the peacock was not killed by the five arrested suspects, adding that it had been supplied by the sixth suspect, who is yet to be arrested. The latter suspect, named Susantha Kumara, is suspected to have introduced the foreign tourist – who recorded and circulated the relevant video – to the arrested suspects. He (Susantha) has also provided a sum of Rs. 2,500 to each suspect following the incident. The suspects have been released on bail, after being produced before the Mahiyangana Magistrate. 

The incident in question, believed to have occurred in 2019 or 2020, recently surfaced after a video gained widespread attention on social media platforms, accumulating over eight million views and sparking public outrage, leading to an official investigation. The indigenous suspects are said to have used traditional hunting tools like bows and arrows to capture the peacock, a protected species under the law. In the video, the peacock was depicted being roasted and consumed in accordance with the community's traditional practices, including being dipped in bees’ honey.