Growing up, I spent countless days exploring the forests near my home, which were filled with birds and a rich diversity of wildlife. As a family that cared deeply for animals, my childhood was spent surrounded by nature. We have helped raise many animals for generations, and we still do. Our house was always alive with the presence of animals. Importantly, we lived near an elephant school, where I spent a significant portion of my life observing these magnificent creatures closely. Animals have been an integral part of my life.

However, today our island's precious wildlife is under threat. Illegal elephant killings and other unlawful acts are devastating our ecosystems. It is heart  wrenching to witness such harm coming to the creatures I grew up loving and whose very presence fuels our island's natural beauty.

Statistics indicate that illegal wildlife acts continue unchecked, causing irreversible damage to our gentle ecosystem and pushing our incredible wildlife closer to extinction. By the time I prepared this there was 2 reported incident of elephant killings one with a gun shot and on other with an illegal electric fence. Just a few days ago a mother leopard died after being caught in a primitive snare. Tusk and tush, leopard teeth and nails are still in the market which clearly shows that illegal poaching is still going on in the island. 

Sri Lankan elephant is protected under several international conventions and regulations. It is an internationally declared endangered species. But the no of elephant killings in the island exceed 250 for the year of 2025. This is an extremely dangerous rate. 

We have identified that the current conservation laws in Sri Lanka, which are not being enforced effectively, are one of the major issues regarding this matter.

We need our government to take immediate action to start implementing laws against illegal activities such as building illegal electrical fences, making, selling, using illegal jaw bombs, using illegal primitive guns and setting illegal primitive snares and traps, wildlife killing for poaching. 

We believe “prevention is better than cure” Just as that, we believe in taking extreme measures to prevent people performing such acts, instead of responding to a result, could help reduce the harm significantly. Protecting our wildlife is not just about conserving our biodiversity; it's also about safeguarding our legacy of millions of years and ensuring that future generations can enjoy the beauty and diversity that we were fortunate enough to experience. 

We call on our government to prioritize the enforcement of existing wildlife protection laws and to adopt more stringent measures to combat illegal acts related to wildlife.

Our island's wildlife is irreplaceable. Each creature plays a vital role in our ecosystems, and if we lose them, we lose a part of ourselves and our identity.

I urge you to join me in demanding immediate governmental action. Let us unite to ensure the protection of our island's precious wildlife. Please sign this petition to help make a difference.