We demand that Government institutions such as the Police and Army relinquish any wild animals, they hold captive to a suitable facility better equipped to care for them such as ‘Ridiyagama Safari Park’ and that no further wild animals be held captive by such organisations.

Holding wild animals’ captive is both unnecessary and cruel  and yet government institutions in Sri Lanka such as The Army and Police hold animals such as Lions and Elephants captive as mascots! Their elephants are also used in ceremonial parades which requires cruel and brutal training for the animal.

If wild animals must be held captive for some reason, at the very least they should be afforded the space and habitat to exercise their natural instinctive behaviours and should be cared for by specialists.

 Institutions such as the Police and Army are ill equipped to provide for the animal’s needs! These elephants are kept in chains and controlled with a bull hook whilst the lions lead a solitary existence imprisoned in small enclosures.

This keeping of wild animals just recently led to tragedy when Army held elephant Kandula snapped killing one soldier and injuring others! This soldiers’ death was totally needless and a direct result of the vanity of senior officers in insisting on the holding of these live “mascots”

Animals are not mascots or dress up toys they are NOT here for our entertainment!

It is totally unacceptable for such institutions charged with protecting the citizens of Sri Lanka to hold animals’ captive in this way! it is also unacceptable for government institutions such as the Zoo or Wildlife department to hand over any creature to be kept as mascots for vanity purposes!

Institutions such as the Police and Army should set an example for citizens to follow and should NOT be participating in the exploitation and abuse of animals.