Court orders capture and release of tusker Agbo into forest reserve

• Police told court that the tusker’s life and human lives would be in danger if allowed to roam into villages 

By Upali Ananda  

The Anuradhapura Chief Magistrate yesterday ordered the Anuradhapura Assistant Director of Wildlife Conservation to capture and release the wild elephant, popularly known as Agbo, which has been frequenting the Thirappane area for more than a year, into a forest reserve.   

Anuradhapura Chief Magistrate and Addl. District Judge Nalaka Sanjeewa Jayasuriya upheld a report submitted by OIC Thirappane police CI Ranjith Kumarasinghe on the instructions by DIG Priyantha Weerasuriya when the case against an employee of a private TV channel for using a drone camera to take photos of the tusker came up for hearing.

Police told court that the tusker who should be protected had been left to the mercy of the people and that its life would be in danger if allowed to roam into the villages and destroy crops and property. The police officer requested court to order the Wildlife Conservation Department to release the jumbo to a forest reserve to prevent any possible danger to its life or to human lives.  

The Judge ordered police to file charges against the suspect who used a drone camera to take photos of the tusker.