Cabinet sets regulations covering elephants in captivity

24 November 2016 02:53 am

The Cabinet on Tuesday decided to declare a set of regulations to be adhered to for persons wanting to rear domestic elephants with regards to maintaining their health, responsibilities of their owners and caretakers, caring of baby elephants born to elephants in captivity, deploying elephants in the workplace, reproduction, using elephants in Peraheras, shooting videos and attires used on elephants.

The government had earlier decided to prohibit the domestication of elephants and a large number of cases have been filed against those who had reared elephants domestically.

The proposal by Sustainable Development and Wildlife Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera under the Flora and Fauna Act was approved by the Cabinet.

The Cabinet had also approved the increasing of the minimum fine charged by a Magistrate's Court for running a bus without the valid passenger service permit from Rs.10,000 to Rs. 200,000.

This was by a proposal made by Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva to present the National Transport Commission (Amendment) Bill in Parliament by amending Article 40 of the National Transport Commission Act No 37 of 1991, was approved by the Cabinet.

The Cabinet also gave the nod to a proposal made by Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister Dr. Rajitha Senarathne to implement a project to introduce short-term herbal cultivation in the Ratnapura, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Moneragala, and Galle Districts, and to purchase the produced raw materials through the sales network of the Ayurvedic Drugs Corporation. (Sandun A Jayasekera)