Farmers suspected of poisoning birds that raid their paddy fields

By Ifham Nizam

Environmentalists and animal lovers are urging the Department of Wildlife  Conservation to take legal action against farmers who are alleged to have poisoned birds in Eluwankulama area bordering the Wilpattu Forest Reserve, recently.

The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka has stressed that those who are found guilty in such inhuman acts should be severely punished.

Environmentalists also urged that post mortems should be conducted on the dead birds without further delay. They alleged that the Department usually covered up such incidents.

A department official however said that the bird carcasses had been sent to the Department of Government Analyst for further examination.

More than 500 birds of Passeridae family, commonly known as ‘Wee kurulla/gela kalu wee kurulla in Sri Lanka’ were found dead..

It is reported that paddy farmers earlier found about 14 bird carcasses in their fields.

Puttalam District Assistant Director of Wildlife Eranda Gamage told the media: “We immediately started to remove the carcasses from the fields, as scavengers were already pecking at the dead birds. We also came across a few birds that were yet alive but lay helpless on the ground unable to take flight.”

Initial studies indicated that the birds had been poisoned.

The Wildlife Department said hundreds of birds had been buried to eliminate further poisoning of other animals which ate their carcasses.