Maneka Gandhi requests President to free elephant ‘Bandula’
Posted on September 17th, 2018
Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Indian Minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi has written to Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena requesting him to free elephant ‘Bandula’ from Dehiwala Zoo, the NDTV reported on Monday.
In her letter, Ms.Gandhi said many in Sri Lanka have reached out to her about the “plight of Bandula” who is in chains for last 67 years.
There were reports about bleeding wounds on Bandula’s limbs, due to heavy chains for years.
Sri Lanka is such a gentle and beautiful island. It seems out of character to treat the elephant this way. Send the elephant to the Ridiyagama National Park to live free,” Ms.Gandhi said.
The minister cited examples in India about how elephants are banned in zoos and the elephants look stressed when chained as they have the same sensitivities as humans.
September 19th, 2018 at 7:51 am
Bandula is just one elephant out of many domesticated animals in Sri Lanka suffering due to human insensitivity.
While fully agreeing with Maneka Gandhi’s views on this matter I urge her to strongly appeal to President Sirisena to implement the Animal Welfare Bill which is yet to be enforced though it was first introduced in 2006. It is a shame for a predominantly Buddhist nation like Sri Lanka to turn a blind eye to this urgent need, in order to please certain minorities for the sake of votes, when Maneka’s own country India enforces stringent animal welfare laws (https://www.thebetterindia.com/46721/humane-society-india-animal-laws-prevention-of-cruelty-act/)
Similar laws are in force in some European countries too (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_welfare_and_rights_in_the_Netherlands)