Ridiyagama Safari Park is a haven for animals to roam freely without the fear of poaching. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the Russian novelist, once wrote: “Love the animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled.” It also exists without the other interference that a normal wildlife park has. Unlike other safari parks, Ridiyagama is completely fenced in and has no human habitation in the vicinity. This ensures that animals are safe from hunters and poachers and can move freely without human interference.
However, tragic and rampant animal deaths are reported almost every day from the Safari Park at the whims and fancies of some inebriated with hooch and other agendas.
The consultant veterinarian in charge of the animals at the Ridiyagama Safari Park, Dr Priyasad Ediriwarna, expressed his concerns about the slaughter of rare animal breeds for the fulfilment of personal agendas.
Ridiyagama Safari Park is a 500-acre safari park in the Ridiyagama area of Hambantota District, Sri Lanka. The majority of the species from the animal kingdom on Earth, including lions, Bengal tigers, ostriches, camels, kangaroos, and many other animals from other parts of the world, can be found here, making it the first of its kind in Sri Lanka.
Consultant veterinarian Dr. Priyasad, who has a great deal of compassion for the creatures under his care, revealed that he would do everything it takes to bring about justice regarding the slaughtering of valuable and rare animal breeds like elks, wild boars, and deer that happens in the parks. Additionally, he stated that he has informed every authority up to the secretary of the ministry regarding this dastardly crime.
He claims that the sadistic managers of the park steal kilograms of meat intended for the animals and prepare side dishes to eat while drinking, take potions of fruit intended for the animals, and spend the time intoxicated like some primitive beings. Not only that, but he also said that he has received death threats as a result of speaking out against these sadistic behaviours. Ultimately, he was transferred to the Peradeniya Agriculture Center as a way of silencing him.
He further stated that he was transferred purely because he opposed the existing system at Ridiyagama Park, despite the fact that he is more knowledgeable about wild animals than animal husbandry related to agriculture. With more than six years of expertise in this sector, he is one of the most experienced doctors. Therefore, his transfer to the Peradeniya Agriculture Center appears to be more of a forceful removal than an acceptable change in service location. However, he goes on to say that, regardless of the situation that he has to face, rather than worrying about himself, the public should look out for the animals. The animals are in great danger because only one doctor is working at the park rather than the requisite three.
“Don’t do this injustice to those wild animals. I can bear with the fact that I was unjustly transferred. But these are the animals that we have cared for and loved despite the fact that I was unjustly transferred. But these are the animals that we have cared for and loved. The park needs a doctor who is well-versed in poison. Instead of using me, I was removed before even 24 hours were up and got doctors from the Dehiwala Animal Park to come, giving allowances for their travel expenses.”
“Is protesting the atrocities that take place right in front of my eyes in this facility a crime? Isn’t it my duty as a veterinarian to speak up for these animals? I fed and cared for those animals. When their food is stolen and they are murdered for their meat and sold, shouldn’t I stand up for them?”
Dr. Priyasad questions whether an institution that goes against everything that it stands for and takes part in crimes against these poor animals, an institution that harbors managers who sell the overtime allowances of workers for a daily interest, can truly prosper.
Consultant veterinarian Dr Priyasad Ediriwarna added that in a country that shows no interest in giving him a job opportunity in the field of his expertise, he might not have any other choice but to leave the country. He acknowledged that he was still considering that option. However, he went on to state that he would not turn a blind eye to the outrageous crimes that took place in Ridiyagama Park and that he would even risk his life in this struggle, wherever he is.
He urges the public to stand up against this crime.
Dr. Tilak Premakantha, director general of the National Zoological Department, made the following comments in response to these accusations made against Ridiyagama Park. He claimed that these slaughters do happen occasionally in the zoo, but the situation is not as serious as the former constant veterinarian in charge says and that his transfer does not have any hidden agendas behind it. Rather, it has been done according to the recommendation of the preliminary investigation of an incident that occurred in the year 2020.
Therefore, the director general says this transfer was not based on the accusation regarding the killing of animals and that the veterinarian is issuing such statements to gain the sympathy of the public.
However, it should be noted that in 2020, Dr Priyasad, the former consultant veterinary officer, was relieved of his duties regarding the newly born lion cub named Dora after he made a significant revelation regarding trafficking wild meat inside the animal park and the concerns surrounding the lion cub.
Additionally, in a statement regarding Dr. Priyasad Ediriwarna, the deputy director of the zoo department, Hemantha Samarasekera, claims the storage and preparation of the meat given to the animals are done by the nutrition department, which was under the authority of the former veterinarian in charge of the station, and it is a serious mistake to hide an irregularity in an institution that was under his control for six years.
The deputy director said that the accused veterinarian is acting like this just to satisfy the hatred regarding his transfer.
The Association of Government Veterinary Officers, however, sided with Dr Priyasad and asserts that this transfer is exclusively based on the revelation made by Dr Priyasad regarding the wild meat smuggling operation that was going on inside the park. The association further stated that a veterinarian has the opportunity to complain verbally and in writing when such unjust actions take place while on duty.
The Association of Government Veterinary Officers continued by stating that the form of animal slaughter and wild meat trafficking in Ridiyagama Safari Park is cruel and horrendous, and anyone who needs convincing can see for themselves how the wild trafficking is carried out at the park.
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