Birth-dates are back dated

Pubudu Weeraratne from Species Conservation Centre said when inspecting the licences most of them seem to be backdated. He said most of these applications have been backdated to 2008 and the licences have been issued in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

“Many licences seem to be backdated. The main reason for this is the amendment brought into the Flora and Fauna Act. When looking at the licences issued in the last three years most of them were applied for in 2008. If the elephant was actually born in 2008 it should be around six years old by now. But when inspecting the elephant, and going through the veterinary reports the elephants’ growth does not match. This is a clear evidence to show that the reports were backdated,” he said.

He further said there were instances where the elephants were not registered - not even the baby elephant, but there were reports that the elephants had been sold. He questions: “How do people purchase elephants without obtaining a licence?” Weeraratne blames the Wildlife authorities and the officials for not having performed their duties.

Furthermore he said they had found instances where licences had been issued in the names of deceased persons. He said the Tamed Elephants Association too was responsible for the ongoing mafia. “The members of the Tamed Elephants’ Association too should be held responsible for this ongoing mafia. They say that they have elephants only for pageants and other religious activities. But most of these elephants end up in hotels for tourists’ entertainment.”