Wild animals sold online

A man who is reported to have sold wild animals online was arrested by officers of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) yesterday after a raid conducted in Kirilla

pone.

Wildlife Officers had recovered a python priced at Rs.10,000, a monkey, a snake priced at Rs.4,000 and a green iguana of at Rs.17,500

The sales had been carried out online and interested buyers were asked to order these animals online.

Wildlife Officers had recovered a python, a monkey, a snake and a green iguana of foreign origin. The DWC media unit said the illegal online wild animal store had priced the python at Rs.10,000, the snake at Rs.4,000 and the green iguana at Rs.17,500.

The raid was conducted last morning by undercover wildlife officers posing as potential buyers.

The Media Unit had informed that an individual identified as Mohammed Rafeek Mohamed Sadham Hamri had kept these animals in house on High Level Road, Kirillapone.

The raiding unit was headed by Assistant Director W.A.A.B.U. Indrajith and comprised Wildlife Range Officer W.A.A.P. Wijesinghe, Wildlife Assistant Range Officer K.W.D. Jayalal, wildlife game guards A.S. Bandara, G.R. Ratnayake, and Priyantha Fernando.

Meanwhile explaining the legal aspect, senior environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardena said keeping selling animals that are protected are offences under the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance.

He said to possess a foreign species the owner has to have documents to prove importation and a CITES certificate depending on the particular species.

The man who kept the animals for sale will be produced before the Gangodawila Magistrate.