News
Are NGO cooks spoiling the soup?
By Ifham Nizam
Newly appointed National Zoological Gardens Director General Shermila Rajapaksa last week assured top priority for animal welfare and if necessary, they would seek advice from international experts.
She told The Island that with regard to ailments of elephants, it was successfully handled by a native doctor -Wedamahattaya.
However, Rally for Animals Rights (RARE) Spokesperson Panchali Panapitiya claimed that elephant foot care, positive reinforcement, enrichment and modern elephant care were alien to Sri Lanka, a country that had no laws on animal welfare.
She said that in July 2021 RARE approached Steve Koyle, one of the world’s foremost captive elephant experts from the USA. He possessed 21 years of elephant care experience and underwent various training and obtained qualifications. He is known as “Steve the foot guy” in the captive elephant world community.
A zoologist qualified from Michigan State University. He is renowned for his unique elephant foot care, positive reinforcement and target training techniques. In the last six years he established the Elephant Care Unchained organization and started providing free services to elephant owners who cannot afford paid services.
He has rendered paid and voluntary foot care to elephants, training and advice to mahouts in ethical and non-ethical sanctuaries in many countries including India, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia etc.
RARE introduced him to the then Director General of Zoological Department Ishini Wickremesinghe who was delighted to receive his expert advice.
When the idea was conveyed to the mahouts and animal handling staff at Dehiwala Zoo, Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and Ridiyagama they were also interested to receive training from this foreign expert in Sri Lanka. This was on a volunteer basis with no cost to the government at all.
“In September 2021, on his arrival in Sri Lanka, Ishini had resigned and there was a period with no director general and finally we introduced him to the new Director General of National Zoological Gardens Shermila Rajapaksa at a meeting at the Dehiwala Zoo in November. Disappointingly she has not yet taken any steps to receive his services to conduct foot care for the 100 elephants under her care
and provide training by him for her relevant staff,” Panapitiya said.
She added “There are many critical elephants that need foot care under her from which Elephant Devi at Dehiwala Zoo is in the worst condition. I think if the abscess on her feet is not treated immediately by the correct technique, it could result in a slow painful death to her in less than two years. Here we have brought the solution to the door step of the DG but she shows no interest.”
The American expert was also introduced to the Wildlife Minister C.B. Ratnayake in October 2021, who directed him to the President of Captive Elephant Owners Association, the Diyawadana Nilame of the Temple of the Tooth, Nilanga Dela Bandara and even he recognised the importance and Steve’s skills and expertise and was happy to receive his services to the temple of the tooth elephant herd and endorsed and recommended him to conduct foot care and advise on enrichment to the temples and private owners in his association.
Steve has since done foot care for around 30 of the country’s most famous Captive Tuskers and Elephants at temples, with private owners and in riding camps and most of them have been very welcoming to have foot care done for their elephants. They were amazed at the tools he used. Steve even introduced simple, cost-effective enrichment methods to improve the mental wellbeing of elephants. Two famous temples are already following these methods and a riding camp elephant too.
The mahouts and owners were grateful and gave him blessings and passed on merits. He travels door to door with a translator offering his services.
He expects to reach all 104 elephants of the industry and work with captive elephant groups.
“Although RARE clash with Mr. Dela Bandara in most issues and principles we found common ground in recognising the skills of this expert and the need for footcare for our elephants by this international expert. And we must thank Mr. Bandara for that,” said Panapitiya.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
