Politicians, henchmen encroach on sanctuary

By Ifham Nizam

More than 100 villagers with the backing of local politicians yesterday started clearing forests at the Dahayiyagala sanctuary despite objections from some 50 Wildlife department officers.

A Wildlife Officer told The Island these lands come under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance and any human activity there was illegal.

The Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE) said that a campaign to clear 300 acres of forest had been launched. “

An environmental Scientist warned the forest clearance would aggravate the human-elephant conflict.

The Island on its Friday edition reported a move to degazette more forest lands belonging to the Dahayiyagala sanctuary, which serves as a corridor for the elephants in the Udawalawa National Park and the Lunugamwehere National Park to migrate.

It was an important moving path for the elephants and they frequently use it for reaching the salt lick at the Bogaha Pattiya area, an authority on Elephants, Supun Lahiru Prakash of the Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle told The Island.

Some 2586 ha of land was gazetted as the Dahayiyagala sanctuary on 7th June 2002, by considering its role as an elephant corridor.

In 2008, a similar attempt was made by the particular politicians to encroach the sanctuary, but it failed, when Wildlife officers, local community organizations, and environmental activists objected.