Plan to arm farmers against wild animals condemned

Leading environmentalist Hemantha Withanage has strongly condemned a proposal by the Ministry of Defence to arm civilians in rural areas in response to crop damage caused by elephants, calling it a “reckless and dangerous” move that could escalate the slaughter of Sri Lanka's endangered elephants.

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"This is not wildlife management. It’s legalised killing," said Withanage, Chairman of the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ), in a letter sent to the Ministry yesterday. “You are essentially giving civilians a licence to kill elephants—an already threatened and culturally significant species.”

The proposal, which was circulated in a letter dated July 11, recommends allowing farmers with as little as two hectares of land to receive firearms—down from the current five-hectare threshold. The move has sparked outrage from conservationists and members of the public.