Two suspects have been arrested in Kuruvita with a cache of strictly protected wild animal parts following a joint raid by wildlife officers and the Police Special Task Force (STF), acting on intelligence provided by the Sri Lanka Air Force.
The raid, carried out yesterday (10) in the Paradise area of the Kuruvita Police Division, led to the seizure of 03 sambar deer antlers, 04 spotted deer antlers, an ivory pendant, an ivory ring, 02 ivory sticks, a relic casket with an ivory crystal, 07 elephant tooth parts, a sword with a sambar deer antler handle, a piece of jackal skin, and a piece of musk. Investigations confirmed the items were in the suspects’ possession for sale.
The suspects, aged 40 and 31, are residents of Kuruvita. They, along with the seized exhibits, were handed over to the Palabaddala Wildlife Office and are scheduled to be produced before the Ratnapura Magistrate’s Court today (11).
Possession, transport, display, or sale of parts belonging to strictly protected and endangered species is prohibited under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. The Department of Wildlife Conservation has urged the public to report information on such offences to its emergency hotline 1992.
The operation was jointly conducted by officers of the Ritigala Wildlife Office, Kurunegala Assistant Director’s Office, Bulathkohupitiya and Palabaddala Wildlife Offices, together with STF officers in Kuruvita, based on Air Force intelligence. (Newswire)