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Controversy over plan to bring Bisons from India

Published

4 years ago

2022/10/20

By Ifham Nizam

Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India and a Sri Lankan biodiversity scientist as well as a public policy advisor, are working to import six Bisons from India without permission from the Department of Forest Conservation and the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) alleged.

CEJ Director and Chief Advisor Hemantha Withanage yesterday said that senior officials of the Department of Forest Conservation and the Department of Wildlife Conservation had denied giving permission for the project.

“The Department of Wildlife Conservation states that these animals are found in the central region of India and there are problems regarding their adaptation to Sri Lanka,” he added.

Sri Lanka’s biodiversity expert, Rohan Pethiyagoda, contacted for comment said, he was under the impression that the CEJ had been misled by the claim in an Indian newspaper that there was a proposal to reintroduce gaur (which became extinct here some centuries ago) to the wild in Sri Lanka.

“The demography of Sri Lanka has changed drastically for that to be feasible, and we have enough and more problems with human-elephant conflict. All I requested High Commissioner Milinda Moragoda was to ascertain whether the Indian government might in principle be willing to entertain a request from Sri Lanka to establish a herd of gaur in our National Zoological Gardens.”

He also said if the Indian authorities had indicate their willingness to entertain such a proposal, then the Department of National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka can take a decision whether the latter would make a formal proposal.

“That is all there is to this. Of course, there may be those who are opposed to the idea of the zoo maintaining a herd of gaur. But in my opinion, most Sri Lankans would like such a move. After all, the gaur

is very much a part of our folklore. Imagine, if elephants became extinct in Sri Lanka, would anyone oppose maintaining a herd of captive elephants at Pinnawela? I doubt it. Unfortunately, many people have been misled by this erroneous newspaper article.”

Dr. Pethiyagoda also said that the reintroduction of the species to the wild was a hugely expensive, scientifically complex and time-consuming enterprise (it takes decades of planning, not years). Sri Lanka had not reached the point of considering the introduction of this propsal any time in the foreseeable future, he said. “But I would be astonished if anyone thought there is anything wrong with the last large mammal species to become extinct in Sri Lanka being represented in our national zoo.”

Withanage, who is also the current President of Friends of the Earth International (FOEI), said he did not approve of the move to bring those animals to Sri Lanka. “Do we even have habitats that suit such a species to survive? Withanage asked. He pointed out that reintroducing gaur is a problem. “Only a third of the forests that existed in Sri Lanka 300 years ago remain today.”

Commenting on the conflicts between humans and animals in Sri Lanka, Withanage said that the loss of human lives as well as the loss of animal lives should be taken into consideration. “The country loses about 350 elephants and 100 human lives a year due to the elephant-human conflict, and it is necessary to question the mindset of those who want to bringing in a problem that does not exist in the country.

“While some say that Sri Lanka already could not handle the existing number of elephants here, introducing this species to compete with elephants and feeding them in the limited pastures is something that we should not even think of.”

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President meets senior officials of the Urban Development Authority

Published

59 mins ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

A discussion between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and senior officials of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) was held this afternoon (18) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting focused extensively on new development projects planned by the Urban Development Authority. The President emphasised the need to ensure that the budgetary allocations made for these projects in the current year are utilised effectively within the same financial year.

Detailed discussions were also held on projects planned to be implemented jointly by multiple institutions, including the importance of holding consultations with all relevant agencies to reach final decisions and the need to clearly define responsibilities for each institution in both implementation and maintenance phases of the projects.

Attention was drawn to key initiatives such as the Kelani River flood control project, water management projects in Colombo city and the Beira Lake restoration project. The need for a dedicated programme for low-income housing in areas such as Ratmalana and Moratuwa was also highlighted. During the discussion, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake underscored the importance of introducing a structured management framework for the effective coordination of certain projects.

Deputy Minister of Urban Development, Eranga Gunasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, Senior Professor Kapila C.K. Perera, Chairman of the Urban Development Authority (UDA), M.G. Hemachandra and the Heads representing the Urban Settlement Development Authority (USDA), Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLDC), National Physical Planning Department (NPPD) and the Condominium Management Authority (CMA) were also present at the meeting.

(PMD)

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CEAT Kelani Branch Inter-Company Employees’ Union makes donation to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

1 hour ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

The Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the Kelaniya Branch of CEAT Sri Lanka has made a financial donation of Rs. 1,148,000.00, a day’s salary of its members to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund established to support the restoration of livelihoods and the rebuilding of areas affected by cyclone Ditwah.

Secretary of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, D.G.S.D. Navaratne, handed over the donation to the Chief of Staff to the President, Prabhath Chandrakeerthi at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (18).

Treasurer of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, Y.P.I.C. Karunathilaka, together with members of the Executive Committee, were also present on the occasion.

(PMD)

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Prime Minister off to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum

Published

3 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya departed on an official visit to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to participate in several high-level academic and diplomatic engagements aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fields of education, development studies, research collaboration, and international partnerships.

As part of the visit, the Prime Minister will meet with Ms.Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education of the United Kingdom, at the UK Department for Education, to discuss areas of cooperation in education and related sectors. She is also expected to meet Ms.Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, for discussions on matters of bilateral interest and cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the Prime Minister is expected to meet Ms.Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, on the sidelines of the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will attend a public event at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and she will also take part in the ceremony marking the 60th Anniversary of the Institute of Development Studies. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to address a session at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford, followed by a question-and-answer session with scholars and students.

The visit is expected to strengthen Sri Lanka’s engagement with academic institutions, international development partners, and Commonwealth member states, particularly in the areas of education, research, policy dialogue, and capacity building.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]