A protest was held near the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on Tuesday demanding an end to animal cruelty, immediate measures to protect elephants, and justice for the killed tusker Kavantissa.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Secretariat calling on the government to act, Hiru News reported at 5:42 p.m. Colombo time.
One participant told reporters the country had already lost an animal that stood as a symbol of its wildlife.
“If we keep our mouths shut any longer, what happens is that we have lost the biggest elephant in Asia, who was like a king to us,” the protester said. “If we stay silent, this remaining generation of elephants and the elephant resource will just keep dying. It has been two years since the present government came in. But in that time we lost our elephant king. Still, the next generation is there ahead of us. We came here to ask that they be protected.”
Hiru’s footage shows a modest crowd holding hand-lettered placards in Sinhala outside a high-rise setting consistent with the Secretariat district.
Context
Kavantissa was a tusker that lived in the Siyambalangamuwa tank reserve. Following its killing, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa announced a project to erect a life-size statue of the animal, along with an elephant research facility and library, on land at Ambanpola.
The protest follows a run of elephant deaths that has drawn sustained public attention, including a tusker shot dead at Kahatagasdigiliya with a tusk removed. The government launched a tri-forces elephant protection operation earlier this month.
Not reported
Hiru does not say who organised the protest, give the number of participants, name the speaker quoted, or report any response from the Presidential Secretariat. It does not say whether arrests have been made over Kavantissa’s killing or what stage any investigation has reached. No other verified newsroom had filed on the protest at the time of writing.