Encouraging mob violence against wildlife officers CALLOUS POLITICAL PRIORITIES PUT FRONTLINE DEFENDERS AT RISK

With the appointment of the new which holds a government, significant majority, many hoped its environmental promises would swiftly become a reality. Environmental activists, working at both local and international levels, voluntarily extended support to guide the government toward a sustainable future-where natural resources and biodiversity are safeguarded.

- Supun Lahiru Prakash

Yet, after nine months, optimism has given way to concern. Instead of progress, we see continuous threats to Sri Lanka's environmental protection framework and to the safety of frontline wildlife officers.

On December 5, 2024, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands, and Irrigation K. D. Lalkantha declared in Parliament that farmers were "free to take any action" against crop-raiding wild animals on their lands. Such rhetoric not only sows doubt about the government's conservation agenda but also legitimises extrajudicial actions and fuels hostility toward wildlife.

This was not an isolated incident. On June 13, at the Kurunegala District Coordination Committee Meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Namal Karunaratne levelled false allegations against Wildlife Ranger and Attorney-at-Law Chathura Gunarathne, who had attempted to protect the Kahalla-Pallekele Sanctuary for elephants, and ordered take immediate steps to transfer him.

This move has placed his safety at risk, forcing him to seek relocation for fear of life-threatening consequences. At a media conference on August 24 in Kurunegala, the same deputy minister arguably claimed that wildlife officers shoot elephants with live bullets suggesting this explained the bumps on elephant bodies. The most striking irony is that, despite repeated calls by experts and environmentalists for a coordinated, evidencebased, and scientific response, the government remains entrenched in failed strategies such as elephant drives and confining elephants to protected areas. At the same time, politicians within the very same government deflect responsibility by pointing fingers at wildlife officers, even going so far as to accuse them of shooting elephants.

Promoting mob law