SLTB driver, conductor arrested for transporting dead Junglefowl

By Hiran Priyankara

Mullaitivu, June 17 (Daily Mirror) - A Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) driver and conductor were arrested for secretly carrying a dead Junglefowl that the bus had knocked down, police said.

They stated the Colombo bound bus from Mullaitivu was passing through Thabbowa Wildlife Sanctuary when it hit the bird.

Wildlife conservators from Karuwalagaswewa, travelling through the sanctuary on another assignment, noticed the conductor and driver placing the bird into the bus. They searched the bus at the Saliyapura checkpost and found the dead bird hidden under the driver’s seat.

The conductor and driver were released on police bail of Rs. 100,000 each, pending legal action for killing a Junglefowl and secretly transporting the carcass.

Karuwalagaswewa Range Wildlife Conservator D. Ramasinghe noted that the Junglefowl is the national bird of Sri Lanka.