News
Environment Minister orders Puttalam police to take action against destroyers of mangroves
By Ifham Nizam
Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has instructed the Puttalam Police to take action against those who have destroyed the mangrove at Pulidiwal in Mundalama.
The Minister did so after he was informed that two acres of mangrove forest had been cleared for a prawn farm.
Amaraweera directed the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) and the Mundalama Divisional Secretary to investigate the matter and submit a report.
The Environment Minister has been informed that the land was a private property belonging to an individual and the relevant authorities confirmed that he had destroyed the ecosystem claiming that it was done to set up a prawn farm.
Amaraweera, on Wednesday night, telephoned the HQI of the Puttalam Police Station to inquire what action he has taken.
The Minister also said that it was due to the inefficiency and negligence of some officials that such illegal activities were taking place countrywide.
Amaraweera said the government officials such as Grama Niladharis, Divisional Secretaries, Environment Officers, Development Officers and Agrarian service officers also working there had to get tough with those who harmed the environment and institute legal action against them.
The Otter Aquatic Club, Colombo 7 will host its annual Bak Maha Ulela on April 25, 2026, with a full day of festivities to mark the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
The celebration will feature traditional games, cultural activities, creating a vibrant atmosphere for families and friends to enjoy together. Organisers invite everyone to take part in this joyous occasion.
Three Sri Lankan leopard cubs that were born at the Singapore Zoo on Jan 1 have now made their public debut at the facility.
The two males and one female, born to mother Yala and father Asanka, are the first of their species yo be born at the Singapore Zoo. The last successful birth in Singapore was recorded at the Night Safari three decades ago.
The triplets, which are the pair’s first litter, are among around 80 Sri Lankan leopards in zoos worldwide.
The species is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with fewer than 800 individuals estimated to remain in the wild.
Visitors can now see the triplets at the Wild Africa exhibit, said the Mandai Wildlife Group in a statement on April 16.
The cubs can be found in the exhibit with their mother daily until mid-May and, subsequently, every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Yala with her cubs in their nest box, a month after their birth on Jan 1. (Straits Times)
A leopard cub investigating a piece of meat suspended from a tree – one of the several enrichment items in the Wild Africa exhibit designed to keep the cats mentally and physically stimulated. (Straits Times)
Mandai Wildlife Group curator Anand Kumar said it took nearly three years and close collaboration across continents to bring together a compatible pair of Sri Lankan leopards.
(Straits Times)
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-zoos-first-sri-lankan-leopard-cubs-make-their-public-debut?ref=top-stories
The Sri Lanka Navy has seized a local multi- day fishing trawler, it’s four man crew together with a consignment suspected to be narcotics off the Southern Coast of the island.
The vessel is presently being escorted to the Dikowita fisheries harbour for further investigations and legal proceedings.
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