The Elephant "Bhanu" at Kataragama Maha Devalaya arrested

- Oct 08, 2016

The 12 year old Elephant named "Bhanu" who was in the Kataragama Maha Devalaya on the orders of the  Chief Magistrate of the Colombo magistrates courts Gihan Pilapitiya has been cordoned and arrested by the related authorities of the wild life department  and  the officers of the criminal investigating department on the 07th instant. This arrest had been made made at the premises of the Kataragama Maha Devalaya premises.

Initially the baby elephant"Bhanu" had been registered under permit No 200 of the wild life conservation department.The baby elephant had been in the possession of a renowned politician in Uva province which had been popularly spoken of in the media in the recent past. But investigations had revealed that the elephant had been registered in the name of Dilshan Wickremaratne Gunasekera a resident of Malimbada area of Matara Palatuwa.

A spokesman for the wild life conservation department had quipped that the elephant "Bhanu" thus arrested on the 07th instant at the Maha Devalaya premises of Kataragama Devalaya would be taken to the Pinnawela elephant orphanage.

The arrest of the elephant "Bhanu" had been made for flouting the wild life flora and fauna ordinance and in the irregular manner of registration and retaining a elephant.In this aspect a large number of complaints have been received revealing  that in the past 10 years and above it had been a practice to kill the mother elephants and to retain the baby elephants by politicians, religious leaders, judges. businessmen, administrative officers and others.

Under the fauna and flora protection amended Bill No 22 of 2009 the further amendment 22 A  sub caption (9) " it is compulsory for  the  registered owner  or the caretaker to be present at the spot when an Elephant gives birth to a baby Elephant and a report of it has to be forwarded to the Director General of the wild life conservation department"
     
In addition under the sub caption (10)  within seven days of the birth it has to be made known to the persons authorized by the Director General.  

Accordingly after year 2009 details of delivery details off all elephants need to be conveyed to the Director General for registration.

It is reported since such details have not been made in order to  be exonerated of charges ,the owners of elephants have declared that they have in possession of baby Elephants who were born prior to year 2008 and registered them as they have been under domestic care..The environmentalists had quipped that these registrations have been made in respect of baby Elephants who had been captured from jungles by killing the mother Elephants.

In consideration of these facts a former Minister of wild life Wasantha Senanayake had on 16th February 2015  complained to the criminal investigation department that the authorities of the wild life department had made fictitious schedules of  tamed Elephants.Accordingly  to the findings instructions for the cordoning of the Kataragama Maha Devalaya had been made by the Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya of the Chief Magistrate courts when the case No B/ 23073/01/15 filed by the criminal investigating department was taken up for hearing..

When investigations were carried out schedules pertaining to 55 suspected baby Elephants  had been perused and out of which 40 were identified at first sight included in the suspected schedules.It had also revealed that 06 suspected baby Elephants were sans details of mother Elephants.These details had been furnished for registration  only lately after the mother Elephants had been traced..

In this regard in terms of the findings of the case at the Colombo Chief Magistrate courts it had been noticed that all such baby Elephants  with fictitious information are to be arrested.However in regard to a baby Elephant named "Ganga" that has been kept in small area in a renowned Buddhist temple premises in Colombo in a cruel manner under permit No 198 was to be arrested before the 13th of this month,But a motion had been submitted to the Magistrate courts through an attorney at law on the 06th instant conveying that before the next date of hearing of the case all required documents and permits would be furnished.

However it has been said by the environmental personnel that the the baby Elephant "Ganga" has not been arrested by the  officials of the criminal investigation department or the raiding unit of the wild life departmentauthorities may have been due to the influence of a Minister attached to the Judiciary field.

The baby Elephant "Ganga" has been registerd under permit No 198 in the name of one ADD Amaradeva of Rajjuru Bandara  Devalaya in Akuressa,Urubokka.In this regard more than ten thousand petitions have been sent by the Internationaland  and National quarters to arrest this baby Elephant.which have been focussed by the environmental organizations.