Three suspects have been arrested with firearms, traps and animal parts during a special search operation in the Galkiriyagama area under ‘Operation Hasthi Sena’, the Environment Ministry and the Wildlife Conservation Department said.
The operation was carried out jointly by the Environment Ministry, the Wildlife Conservation Department and the Sri Lanka Army, with the aim of preventing wildlife crimes and protecting wild elephants.
The search covered 10 Grama Niladhari divisions in the Galkiriyagama Wildlife Range, which have been identified as vulnerable to wildlife crime. Ten teams of nine members each were deployed. Each team was led by a wildlife officer and included two Civil Security Department personnel and six Army personnel.
The three suspects were arrested in the Nikkiniya Grama Niladhari Division in the Kekirawa Divisional Secretariat Division, accused of possessing equipment allegedly used in wildlife crimes.
The items recovered included spring-loaded traps used to harm wild elephants, wires, cables, snares, explosives and parts of dead animals. Officers seized six sets of deer antlers, one locally made muzzle-loading firearm, two knives and a sword with deer-antler handles, and a fragment of an elephant’s jawbone.
They also recovered lead pellets, pieces of lead, an iron rod used to load gunpowder into firearms, fragments of percussion caps, coils of wire and 650 grams of meat. In addition, two 12-bore firearms, a spring-loaded trap and seven rounds of 12-bore SG ammunition were seized.
In a separate raid under the same operation in the Kalawewa North area, the Army and Wildlife Conservation Department officers recovered guns, cartridges, bullets, gunpowder, snares and Hakka Patas, an explosive bait commonly used for illegal hunting. Hare meat and deer antlers were also found. The information released did not say whether anyone was arrested in that raid.
Background
‘Hasthi Sena’ is an initiative that aims to protect wild elephants and minimise human-elephant conflict. Authorities said joint operations of this kind are being carried out to prevent illegal hunting and protect wild animals.
Human-elephant conflict has long affected farming communities in rural districts, where elephants damage crops and homes and people and elephants are killed. Traps and explosive baits such as Hakka Patas are known to injure elephants and other animals badly.
What it means
For villagers in elephant-prone areas, the operation signals continued Army and wildlife officer presence in the field. Anyone found in possession of snares, explosives or firearms linked to hunting can face legal action, and the suspects in this case will be dealt with through the courts.
