Merciless poachers have been reported to continue hunting national birds and animals, frequently within the forest reserves in both, the Kurunegala and Puttalam Districts of the NWP.
The Jungle fowl is the national bird of Sri Lanka. Killing it is declared strictly illegal by law and hence , it is a punishable offence. Nevertheless, rare wild animals and birds such as peacocks, wild pigs, deer, stags, porcupines and the giant squirrel which are national creatures of the country, are not spared by the poachers.
These poachers, secretly creep into forest reserves at night and hunt these rare animals for meat, to be sold to tourist hotels, where foreign tourists prefer such dishes. Last week, a suspect, T.M.Chandrasena of Puliyankulam, who killed a jungle fowl was arrested by the Meegalewa Police and later, produced before the Galgamuwa Magistrate, L.T.Warusavithana and fined Rs. 60,000.
S.M.Premaratne, Chairman, Kurunegala District Small Farmers’ Association told the Sunday Observer that about 64 persons have been arrested during the past eight months over hunting rare wild animals and birds in different parts of the NWP.