Leaving animal control to people to protect crops unacceptable: CEJ

Colombo, December 8 (Daily Mirror) - As a government, it is unacceptable to leave the control of animals that damage crops entirely in the hands of the people without taking appropriate action, Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) legal advisor Ravindranath Dabare said.

He made this comment in response to a statement by Agriculture Minister K.D. Lal Kantha in Parliament on December 5. The Minister asserted that farmers face no legal restrictions in deciding how to deal with animals that damage their crops.

Several environmental organisations held protests opposing the Minister's statement. 

Dabare highlighted legal flaws in the Minister's remarks.

"A responsible Minister making such a statement effectively grants people the impression that they have permission to kill any animal that damages their crops," Dabare said.

He emphasised that elephants, for instance, are afforded special protection under the 12th clause of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance in Sri Lanka. According to the ordinance, killing elephants, even in response to crop damage, is strictly prohibited. Peacocks are also listed as a protected species under the ordinance. Therefore, there is no legal provision allowing the killing of peacocks.

"Such statements, made without understanding the relevant laws and provisions, may lead people to falsely believing that they have the legal right to kill any animal that damages their crops," he added.

Dabare urged the government to explore alternative and practical measures to address the issue, rather than inciting people to harm animals. He stressed the importance of implementing sustainable solutions to resolve the conflict between protecting crops and safeguarding wildlife.

However, it has been reported that animals have caused significant damage to crops, with farmers noting that paddy farming has been particularly affected. Farmers also claimed that parrots, peacocks and toque macaques have caused extensive crop losses.