Luxury jeep used in Sambur deer poaching racket busted

An unlicensed 12-bore shotgun and ammunition seized

By Ranjith Rajapakse   

The Nuwara Eliya Police arrested three individuals after seizing the carcass of a Sambur deer, a protected species, being transported in a luxury Prado jeep following a raid in the Seetha Eliya forest reserve.   

The suspects were found in possession of an unlicensed 12-bore shotgun along with ammunition at the time of their arrest. Preliminary investigations revealed that the trio had allegedly hunted the stag within the Seetha Eliya forest and were en route to the Dankotuwa area with the carcass when intercepted.   

Police suspect the group to be part of an organised racket involved in the illegal hunting of wild animals for meat, believed to have been operating for some time.   

The raid was carried out by a police team led by Nuwara Eliya HQI, Chief Inspector Premalal Hettiarachchi.   

The suspects were produced before Nuwara Eliya Magistrate Lankangani Prabuddhika and were ordered to be remanded until July 31.   

Under Schedule II of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO), the Sambur deer (Rusa unicolor) is listed as a Protected Animal.   

Section 30(1) of the FFPO makes it an offence to kill, injure, or take any protected animal without a permit from the Department of Wildlife Conservation.