I agree with Lalkantha in principle on the need to contain crop-raiding wild animals:- SJB MP

By Yohan Perera   

Asserting that he is in agreement in principle with  Agriculture Minister K.D. Lalkantha that crop-damaging wild animals  should be contained on farmlands, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Nalin  Bandara Jayamaha said that farmers should be empowered to deal with the  problem no matter what environmentalists said.   
He said he advocated the distribution of guns among farmers  as a way of containing wild animals’ raids on crops in the run-up to  the election but politicians like Deputy Agriculture Minister Namal  Karunaratne harped on him.   
Mr. Jayamaha told the media that Minister Lalkantha should evolve strategies to deal with the issue rather than crowing over it.       
He also said there should be a separate approach to deal with  each species and some of the wild animals such as wild boar should be  culled.   
“Monkeys have also become a menace today in rural areas.  People find it difficult to protect their pots of rice even from them,”  he said.   
“I was ridiculed when I proposed that guns should be given  to farmers and landowners to chase the animals away. It was Deputy  Minister Namal Karunaratne who ridiculed me when I came up with the  proposal during the election campaign. However, Minister Lalkantha  proposed that people should be allowed to take action against  crop-damaging animals. The Minister should put this into action by  bringing in laws to provide legal provisions for the people to use guns  to chase the animals away,” he added.   
He said the law should specify the usage of any suitable gun.   
Also, the MP called on wildlife enthusiasts and  environmentalists to take up the task by challenging them to come up  with solutions to prevent the destruction of crops by animals and to  control the growth of various species. “Monkeys, wild boar, porcupines,  and peacocks will outnumber the human population in Sri Lanka before  long if no action is taken to control the growth of these species,” he  said.