Three foreign nationals have been convicted by a Sri Lankan court for attempting to steal several endangered animal and flora species for genetic research.
The three Russian nationals are accused of having stolen 529 animals belonging to 29 species and a number of flora from various areas including the Horton Plains.
The accused who pleaded guilty to 102 charges were imposed a fine of Rs. 8.6 million by the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate’s Court on Friday (21), after a lengthy case that lasted for over 2 years.
The Russians are reported to have collected several species of animals, including rare snakes, snails, geckos, butterflies, scorpions, and frogs and flora species from several places including the Horton Plains, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Habarana, Yala, Ginigathena, and Jaffna.
They were found after the various species were found hidden in plastic baskets at their place of accommodation in Nuwara Eliya by officials in charge of the Horton Plains National Park in February 2020.
The suspects were arrested and a case was filed against them at the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate’s Court.
The court ruling consists of the highest number of charges and the highest fine to be imposed in the history of the Department of Wildlife Conservation. (NewsWire)