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Video: Elephant calf allegedly kept illegally inside temple premises

28 January 2015 05:01 pm - 15     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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In what is thought to be a clear violation of rules, a two and half year-old elephant calf had been found inside the Alan Mathiniyaramaya Temple in Polhengoda this evening along with another 20-year-old female elephant that was also being kept at the temple.


The raid was conducted on the instructions of Deputy Minister Wasantha Senanayake, who had arrived at the spot accompanied by wild life officials and the police after receiving a tip-off that elephant were being kept in the temple premises illegally.


When the minister requested legal documents proving the ownership of the elephants from the chief incumbent of the temple he said he did not have any.  The chief incumbent had said that he would give them the license as soon as he found them.


The minister said that these elephants would be taken to the wildlife department by the officials and they would take the steps needed to relocate them in the wild.


Statements had been recorded from several people including the Grama Sevaka of the area, a mahout that had been kept there to look after the pachyderms as well as several others.


Legal documents could be obtained to keep baby elephants more than six-years-old but keeping calves of a lesser age in ones possession was illegal, the wild life officials said. They warned that they would be cracking down on those who do not adhere to this rule and said that those persons who own young elephant calves without a proper license were requested to hand them over to the government. (Chaturanga Pradeep)


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  Comments - 15

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  • Dakhina Thursday, 29 January 2015 02:55 AM

    Good work though it is not minister/s business to personally check documents. Let the officers who are supposed to check do the documents do the job if not "good governance" will become a joke.

    Edward Jayasinghe Thursday, 29 January 2015 03:31 AM

    Excellent job.. Whoever commits this crime by holding calves under any age should be punished. They belong to the wild. We have no right to put them in chains.Dear Minister please keep up the good work. I salute you.

    aattanayake Thursday, 29 January 2015 03:36 AM

    So what about the punishments ????

    sri Thursday, 29 January 2015 05:05 AM

    After the racing cars raids now the elephants !

    e4c5 Thursday, 29 January 2015 05:55 AM

    But why no arrests?

    sg Thursday, 29 January 2015 08:44 AM

    Another three baby elephants are staying at temple in Walieriya. This is eye witness and heard about those elephants are belong to Chief rev of Samboodhi Viharaya Colombo. Please go and check those animal as well.

    chinwi Thursday, 29 January 2015 09:21 AM

    Finally freedom to innocent babies. These baby elephants were kept there with lot of hardship to them. Badly behaved mahout punished these kids daily basis. The temple was a hell for the baby elephants. I have seen young girls shedding tears in the temple after watching cruel treatment these innocent creatures get.

    Waco Thursday, 29 January 2015 10:04 AM

    Most of the crimes committed, there had been no arrests. Why?

    lkboy Thursday, 29 January 2015 11:08 AM

    Did Buddha preach this?

    ferdy Thursday, 29 January 2015 03:16 PM

    WELL DONE! now PLEASE make sure they go where they belong and not to another henchman of the new govt!

    Gemunu Thursday, 29 January 2015 03:44 PM

    " those persons who own young elephant calves without a proper license were requested to hand them over to the government." Only a request ? No legal action for violating the Law ? Is it "Yahapalanaya" ?

    leelananda Friday, 30 January 2015 08:59 AM

    well done good work thank you minister thank you.

    kithudugama Friday, 30 January 2015 11:58 AM

    remand karoroth Anith hirakarayo weda devi

    Indra Rajapakse Saturday, 31 January 2015 08:32 PM

    This is a very important matter and I am very happy that the good Minister is taking an initiative! We know what happened earlier! If those officials did their job properly ,there will not be so many illegally kept babies of !suckling age!!!!

    marilynb499@gmail.com Friday, 06 February 2015 11:50 PM

    Elephants belong in the wild! They are not ours!!!


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