News

Feathers fly over peacock permission

By Risidra Mendis

The Department of Wildlife and Conservation (DWC) has violated the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO) by granting permission to a film crew to use two peacocks in a commercial, it has been found.

Peacocks are an endangered species and cannot be used in commercials or for any other programmes without a special licence issued by the DWC.

However The Sunday Leader learns that the crew was filming a commercial for the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) and had brought two peacocks for the shoot to the Kaludiya Pokuna Sanctuary a few weeks ago.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader Zoologist Dilan Peiris said he saw a crew of around 20 and two peacocks in cages in the Kaludiya Pokuna Sanctuary.

"I immediately informed the Minneriya Park warden about the film shoot. The park warden sent a ranger to the site of the shooting. The two peacocks were tied outside their cages and were getting wet in the rain. There was a little water kept close by but no food. The crew did nothing to prevent the two peacocks from getting wet in the rain," Peiris said.

He added that the Minneriya park ranger had informed DWC flying squad chief Upali Padmasiri about the incident. "Padamasiri had instructed the ranger to arrest the crew for violating the FFPO since they failed to produce a licence for the two birds.

 "One of the crew then called up a secretary at the Environment Ministry who in turn had spoken to a high ranking wildlife officer. Instructions were then given by the DWC for the filming to continue in the presence of two wildlife officers. The crew were told to hand over the two peacocks to the Minneriya park once the filming was over, and obtain a licence from the DWC," Peiris said.

However a ranger from the Minneriya National Park told The Sunday Leader that the peacocks were not brought to the park after the film shoot. A DWC official confirmed that the peacocks could not be released to the national park as they were brought from a temple in Attanagalla and wouldn't survive if released to the national park.

Peiris added that one peacock was brought from a temple and the other from a house in Habarana. Tame animals and birds are not generally allowed into national parks as they could infect the wild animals if infected with some disease," Peiris explained.