Yala incident: VIP ‘animals’ facing legal consequences now

We often come across reports about VIP sons and their friends sneaking into national parks of Sri Lanka in private vehicles for joyriding. A similar incident was reported in Polonnaruwa Flood Plains National Park in 2021. Those involved were punished by law and the vehicles were impounded and the Polonnaruwa wildlife officials took actions to present them before the court and punish them.

Another similar incident was reported on October 23. As the media reported a group including a cabinet minister’s son entered the Yala National Park in about thirty-five luxury vehicles and misbehaved. This was also confirmed by the Director General of Wildlife. According to the Wildlife Department these vehicles entered Yala Block 1 and II and seven wildlife officers (trackers) accompanied this group. Videos taken by the group involved show them drifting and speeding their vehicles in a way that disturb animals within the National Park. A spokesperson of the Wildlife Department confirmed that this group had not acted according to the instructions of the wildlife officials. According to the Director General of Wildlife the wildlife officers who went to guide them had failed to guide them properly.

The group engaged in reckless driving in the Yala National Park included members of the Wellawaya Motor Vehicle Association and the Nikaweratiya Poultry Farm Owners Association, according to the WD spokesperson. However, according to other internal sources, an automotive repair shop is behind this incident. It is said that this shop brings jeeps that are repaired annually to one place to film the vehicle operations.

The Director General of Wildlife stated that legal action would be taken against those who ran amok in the Yala Park in cabs and defenders. There are videos of this group driving in areas reserved for wild animals in the park. They have violated the law even on the expressway by parking on the highway to film other vehicles. Videos show them driving their vehicles causing distress to wild animals in the park. Former Director General of the Wildlife Department, Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya, said that it is illegal to drive vehicles in a way harassing wild animals in a sensitive area of  the national park. “An area is declared as a national park for the welfare of animals. Driving vehicles in this manner in the Yala Park creates an adverse effect on the ecosystem of the park and animals. There are strict rules for such behaviours in the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance and the Wildlife Department should punish such people as per those rules.”, he added.
We received information about the vehicle registration plates and owners of 15 vehicles that entered the Yala Park. 

Among them, nine who were arrested for recklessly driving within the Yala National Park were released on bail after they were produced before Tissamaharama Magistrate. They include Munasingha Dhanushka Prasad of Batahelyaya in Tissamaharamaya, Rangoda Gamacharige Suresh
Chathuranga of Ranminitenna in Tissamaharamaya, Hazmidin Mohhamed Safiq of Polgolla,Mohamed Gouz Mohamed of Wellampitiya, Chamikara Buddhika Chathuranga of Wellawaya and Abdul Razzik Raquib of Kurunegala.

In addition vehicles bearing number plates UP- CIB4779, WP-JY 3902, CAS 7494, CPPI 1124, 31-5495, NW CAO 1886 and CPKI 3907 with their keys were produced as evidence before court.Following the incident the Department of Wildlife Conservation announced that they would take legal actions on the culprits. As such, immediate steps were taken to suspend the services of trackers who aided and abetted the culprits while the Ministry of agriculture, wildlife and forest resource conservation ministry blacklisted the vehicles and individuals from any national park in the country for a period of three years. In addition nine individuals and six vehicles that were taken into custody was produced before courts on Wednesday (October 26)and were subsequently released on bail.