Anichachawatha Sankara - Sound the trumpets: State funeral for slain Tanzanian elephants

From The Sunday Times

“Anichcha Watha Sankara

Uppada Vaya Dammino

Uppajitva Nirujjanti

Tesam vupasamo sukho”

 

The eyes of the world will be on Sri Lanka on Tuesday when 359 African elephant tusks detected by Customs four years ago will be ceremonially crushed after religious observances to bestow merit on the fallen elephants.

The ceremony at the Galle Face Green will be attended by President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Wildlife Minister Gamini Jayawickrema Perera and Customs Chief Chulananda Perera.

Also attending as a special guest of honour will be John E Scanlon, Secretary General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The ceremony jointly conducted by the Customs Department and the Wildlife Ministry will start at 10 a.m. and the public, especially schoolchildren have been invited to foster greater awareness of the need to protect wildlife.

Former Customs Deputy Director Samantha Gunasekara, who was credited with the setting up of the Customs’ Biodiversity Protection Unit (BPU), said the tusks were seized at the Colombo in 2012 when the smugglers were trying to send them from Kenya to Dubai in a container.

Mr. Gunasekara said that international investigations had revealed that the tusks had been cut off from elephants in Tanzania.

According to a recent Guardian newspaper report, the price of ivory taken from African elephants slaughtered for their tusks has tripled in the past four years in China, the world’s biggest market.

“The surge in the price of ivory is driving a wave of killing of elephants across Africa that shows little sign of abating,” campaign group Save the Elephants said.

“With the ivory price in Africa a tenth of that in China, substantial profits are being generated for organised crime that fuels insecurity, corruption, and deprives local communities of valuable income.”

Researchers from the Kenyan-based group studying ivory sales in China said prices had risen for a kilogram of raw ivory from $750 (Rs.108,750) in 2010 to $2,100 (Rs. 304,500) in 2014.

Mr. Gunasekera said the ceremonial crushing of the tusks would coincide with International Customs day on Tuesday.  Earlier, attempts had been made by politicians to obtain the tusks, but the Customs prevented it.

Mr. Gunasekera said the tusks would be crushed by a 75-ton-force crushing machine supplied by a gas company.

Wildlife Minister Perera said armed forces and the Special Task Force are being called into provide security when they were brought in a container to the Galle Face Green for the crushing ceremony. This would take place after the chanting of pirith by Buddhist monks and prayers by other representatives of other religions.

A few Sri Lankan elephant tusks also will be crushed, burnt and thrown into the sea. Environmental groups say a large number of Sri Lankan elephant tusks had been seized but most of them had mysteriously disappeared and some rogue politicians are believed to be responsible.

After the crushing ceremony, the remains would be taken to the Puttalam Cement Factory to be burned in the furnaces there, with security being provided by the armed services and the STF, while the roads in the area and factory premises would be monitored by security cameras. Then the ashes will be thrown into the ocean.

The minister said seven stamps depicting endangered species would be issued at the Galle Face ceremony while leaflets about animal cruelty would be distributed among the people to bring about widespread awareness of the importance of wildlife protection. A drawing competition will also be held for schoolchildren.

The minister said it was an honour for Sri Lanka to have the CITES chief in Sri Lanka – his first visit to an Asian country.