Animal parts racket in the National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka

[Guest guest]

The Sunday Leader June 24th 2001

When will Momela be allowed to rest in peace?

 

The death of a rhinoceros by electrocution has become the centre of

controversy with some zoo officals

claiming it was a genuine accident and others accusing senior officals of

planning to remove the animals

horn.

The female rhinoceros Momella was found dead in her enclosure in the first

week of April this year.

According to animal righr activists the death of the animal could have been

prevented if necessary

precautioms were taken before the rainy weather at the zoo.Speaking to the

Sunday Leader these activists

said that the electric wires were spotted by a number of people hanging over

the cage of the rhino.

" Even though the wires kept coming down gradually none of the officials at

the zoo were interested in

taking necessary action to prevent the death of the rhino.As a precaution

the rhino and the other animals

should have been kept in their cages during the night.

However this animal had been in the open enclosure on that rainy day and

suffered an agonising death by

electrocution.It is a shame that such a precious animal should have been

looked after very carelessly " the

animal right activists said.The African Black Rhino born at the zoo was

around 25 years old at the time of

of its death.

A month after the death of rhino new allegations surfaced that a conspiracy

was on to remove the horn of the animal.Certain unconfirmed allegations are

being levelled at a vet attached to the zoo that the entire thing

was a grand masterplan to acquire the horn after the controversy has died down.