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Colombo, Nov. 5 (Daily Mirror) - Two German tourists and a local tourist guide have been arrested for allegedly collecting and attempting to transport live wild animals and parts of animals from the Babawa Uddakandara Forest Reserve, wildlife officials said.
The arrests were made following a special operation by wildlife officers after receiving information on November 2 that a group of individuals was collecting reptiles and insects in the area.
Wildlife officers, posing as tourists, conducted night-time surveillance at several locations before identifying the two foreign nationals and their local guide.
Although an initial search of the suspects and their campsite, known as 'Yala Namba', did not reveal any illegal items, officers became suspicious when the local guide directed them to a different room as his accommodation.
After consulting the establishment's manager, officers searched the guide's actual room and recovered a large collection of suspected wildlife specimens and equipment.
The seized items included live pythons, reptiles, porcupine quills, insects, fungi, a cow's tooth, deer bones, dragonflies, peacock feathers, chemicals, containers used to preserve animal specimens and equipment used to capture snakes and other animals.
The suspects and the seized items were produced before the Tissamaharama Magistrate's Court on Tuesday (3).
The Magistrate ordered that the live animals be handed over to the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens, while the case was scheduled to be taken up again on November 6.
The arrests come amid concerns over foreign nationals engaging in biopiracy through the illegal collection and removal of Sri Lanka's wildlife and biological specimens in violation of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance.
The operation was conducted under the supervision of K. D. N. Muthukalum of the Panahaduwa Range Office at Udawalawe National Park, with the participation of several wildlife officers and support staff.
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