SUNDAY 22 AUGUST 2021 E-PAPER Wildlife Crimes Stoop to a New Low Gruesome killing of a tusker in Yala Block 3 shocks the country BY RISIDRA MENDIS He says therefore, the department staff needs to be A young tusker lies dead at enhanced several fold. “The Block 3 of the Yala National department should have at Park. Lying on the ground in least 6,000 personnel in the his own blood and dung, this field. But the ideal situation gentle giant lost his life should be 9,000 people in the because he was born with a field if they want to do an pair of tusks. Allegedly shot effective job. Until this problem and killed by a farmer in the is addressed we will be facing area for his tusks this animal such tragedies in the future. breathed his last with nobody We have been telling this to to help him. the authorities for the past Shot and killed in his own three decades and the DWC is territory the animal was earning revenue in billions of helpless at the hands of a rupees each year through brutal killer or killers whose tourism, but the money is not only aim was to get their are treated’. This poor put back at least partly to keep hands on the growing tusks elephant’s face has been the resources alive for the sake and hair of the elephant. The hacked at to get at his milk of the industry at least, if the remains of the dead tusker teeth, not even tusks. What conservation is also not taken with his head cut off paints a protection are we offering into consideration,” Dr. horrid picture and have these innocent creatures? Gunawardana said. shocked environmentalists at None,” the statement reveals. He says the DWC should be the sheer brutality some It further says, “We call upon strengthened to protect the people will resort to, to get a the Government to at least resources that will attract pair of tusks. now take action against these tourists in the future and even The carcass of the tusker wildlife crimes which are if they look at it from a narrow was found at Sella Kataragama increasing in frequency, are perspective the DWC should Gothamigama electric fence not only illegal but are cruel be given more resources and with his tail and trunk cut off. and incredibly heinous. We tusker in self-defence. the department strength While environmentalists are must strengthen the Environmentalists say the should be enhanced in every trying to figure out whether punishments under the Fauna lives of three other wild respect. this is the elephant named and Flora Protection elephants living in Yala Block “They can enhance the Suranimala, Ordinance (FFPO) and 3 are also at risk following this technology capability of the Environmentalist/Wildlife prioritise increasing the fines recent incident. DWC by having a drone to Activist Nayanaka Ranwella under the FFPO to reflect the “The greatest degree of patrol the national park at says when going through severity and nature of these protection under the night time, so that any photographs published it is wildlife crimes, as it is very provisions of the FFPO is not miscreants who try to enter evident that a bullet has gone clear that the current fines are enough to have legal the park can be handled much through the tusker’s head. year ago and that animal’s in our wildest imagination did not serious enough to deter protection if the enforcement more effectively. This is one “It is clear that the tusker tusks were also stolen. “This we think we would see the these crimes. We must act mechanism is also not way to make use of modern was shot from the front. I clearly shows that elephants same happen here in Sri urgently and make it a priority strengthened to take effective technology and with minimum request the Department of are being killed for their tusks Lanka. Cruelty towards of the nation to protect our action. In my opinion it is the risk for more effective action. If Wildlife Conservation (DWC) to and a big racket is going on,” animals and wildlife killings wildlife from these evil forces,” lack of resources in the DWC there are two drones going locate the bullet used to kill Ranwella explains. are increasing day by day and the statement says. which is the cause of many of round the park at night at the tusker and produce it in A statement issued by the yet, we do nothing is done “A suspect was arrested in these issues and not a problem regular intervals any person Court. The tusks were Wildlife and Nature Protection about it. Clearly our laws are connection with the killing of of the law been weak. The entering the park could be removed with the use of a Society (WNPS) questions not working,” the WNPS the tusker at Block 3 of the DWC is severely understaffed monitored and some park chainsaw leading us to believe whether or not we are going to statement says. Yala National Park. The and even that staff that the personnel can track to that that this was a planned killing. sit by and watch these heinous It says perpetrators continue arrested suspect has been department has does not have spot,” Dr. Gunawardana These are heinous crimes,” acts of cruelty towards to walk away after committing identified as the owner of the the adequate resources such explains. Ranwella says. animals and wildlife escalate violent wildlife crimes daily. “It firearm allegedly used in the as vehicles firearms, and Director General of DWC He adds that the head of day by day? was Mahatma Gandhi that shooting,” Wildlife officials say. training to do their job Chandana Sooriyabandara another tusker was discovered “We have seen similar said, ‘The greatness of a nation According to Reliable effectively,” Environmental says joint investigations from the buffer zone of the images of elephants being and its moral progress can be Sources the suspect has Lawyer Dr. Jagth regarding the tusker’s death Yala National Park about a hacked at in Africa, but never judged by the way its animals ironically said he shot the Gunawardana opines. are ongoing with the Police. C2 SUNDAY 22 AUGUST 2021 PICTURE STORY ECHO A PROCESSION OF TRADITIONS A brief look at the origins of Esala Perahera BY AMA H. VANNIARACHCHY under the reign of King Kirthisiri Rajasinha. During this time a body of Siamese priests The Tooth Relic arrived in Sri Lanka during who came to Ceylon for the restoration of the the 4th century CE when King Kithsirimewan Upasampada ordination was surprised to find was ruling in Anuradhapura. Kalinga princess a purely Hindu ceremony in the capital of a Hemamala disguising herself as a priestess pre-eminently Buddhist country.” sailed to Sri Lanka, when Kalinga was in war, However, if one journeys back in time a little carrying the sacred Tooth Relic, hidden in her further, one could see the faded roots of a hair. perahera held in honour of the Tooth Relic in According to legend, the sacred Tooth Relic Kalinga. It is said that the king of Kalinga was paraded around the city in a perahera. In performed extravagant rituals and an annual later times, the sacred Tooth Relic became the perahara in honour of the Tooth Relic. symbol of kingship in Sri Lanka. Therefore, it Eminent Scholar Ven. Kamburugamuwe Vajira was shifted from place to place in order to Thera states that an Esala festival parade still keep it out of reach of the invaders. exists at the Jagannatha Kovil at Puri, India. Finally, it was shifted to Kandy. The present The month of Esala marks the arrival of the Temple of the Tooth was built by King Sri rainy season or the monsoon of this region. Veera Parakrama Narendrasinha (1707-1739). Monsoon festivals are held in many Asian After King Narendrasinha, the kingship was countries in honour of the rain god. passed over to the Nayakkars and the Archaeologist Charles Godakumbure believes Nayakkar culture eventually dominated that the Esala festival was initially a festival Kandy. Buddhism gradually faded away from held in honour of the rain god and the Dalada its original ways as Hinduism spread its Perahera and its rituals are related to the authority over the kingdom. This cultural ancient rain festivals. fusion gave birth to a vibrant, unique Hindu- Bearing all these age-old cultural traits, the Buddhist cultural diversity and harmony. Kandy Esala perahera parades the streets of The Esala festival at Kandy today, dates the ancient capital of Kandy with all its pride back to the time of the Nayakkars. and splendour, despite the pandemic. John Devy, a British physician who resided The Kandy Esala Perahera commences in Kandy writes in the 18th century; after the ritual of kap situweema which is “The Esala festival was held in honour of followed by five Kumbal and Randoli Vishnu, to celebrate his birth, during the peraheras. The last Randoli Perahera is month of July (Esala). According to legends, considered to be the grandest and the most relics of the Buddha were not carried in the spectacular of them all and will be held Esala Perahera before the time of King Kirthi tonight. Sri Rajasinha.” After the Randoli Perahera, the diya A similar observation by Sir Richard kapeema ritual is performed. On the last day, Aluwihare was published in The Kandy Esala the Diva Perahera is performed marking the Perahera (1952); end of the Kandy Esala Perahera. “From the information I have been able to This year, the main Tusker who carries the gather, the Esala Perahera as we know it sacred casket of the Tooth Relic is the today, with the four Hindu Devala Peraheras majestic Nedungamuwe Raja.