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Suny Side Up: Anura exposes elephant owners

26 Sep 2021

The recent controversy over the release of tamed elephants that were with the Department of National Zoological Gardens back to their former owners was debated in Parliament last week. Speaking during the debate, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake had revealed that one of the Prime Minister’s security officers, one N. Wanninayake (Neville), also owned two elephants. The JVP Leader questioned how such an individual came to own two elephants. Dissanayake had added that another individual by the name of N.G. Rajapaksa residing in Mirihana also owned an elephant. According to him, the court decision to return several tamed elephants had contained the names of the “so-called owners” who would be getting the elephants, and the list includes top political families and even security personnel of politicians. “Traditionally, elephants were owned by temples, devalayas (shrines), and a few privileged families to show their wealth. In the current condition, the maintenance of an elephant costs about Rs. 300,000 per month. When we oppose the practice of elephant trafficking, it is wrongly interpreted as our opposition to the country’s culture. We are not against the culture,” the MP had noted. “However, since the year 2000, a new class of wealth has emerged, made up of corrupt businessmen and politicians. They are the new class of drug dealers, alcohol traffickers, tender dealers, and politicians. However, their minds are poor. How did they garner the wealth to own elephants?” Dissanayake had questioned. Meanwhile, Minister of Wildlife and Forest Conservation C.B. Rathnayake had informed Parliament that 108 elephants were privately owned in the country. “There are only around 210 tame elephants in the country, 102 of whom are held under the National Zoological Gardens Department while the remaining 108 elephants are privately owned,” said Rathnayake in Parliament. However, the Court of Appeal last week informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court to temporarily halt the release of one of the 14 elephants, Sujeewa, who had given birth to a calf while with the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC).


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