By Chaturanga Samarawickrama  

The Agriculture, Wildlife and Forest Conservation Ministry yesterday denied the news report published on an Indian media website regarding the proposal to import several Gaurs or Indian Bison by Sri Lanka.  

A senior official of the Conservation Ministry told the Daily Mirror that there was no such move from the Government to import such animals.  According to the article published in The Hindu newspaper, it would be the first such agreement between India and Sri Lanka, and part of a global trend of “wildlife or zoological diplomacy”.   The news article further said that the Zoological Gardens in Sri Lanka would carry out “captive breeding of a herd of about a dozen specimens over a five-year period before trial reintroduction to the wild could take place in accordance with [internationally mandated] guidelines for reintroductions”.  However, the Ministry said there were reports in both mainstream and social media but the Ministry had not been informed of any move.  

The Ministry denied the claim made by the Hindu newspaper, which reported earlier that the Sri Lankan High Commission submitted a proposal asking for Gaurs, or gavaras, to be reintroduced to the wild as part of wildlife diplomacy.