The objective of Animal Welfare Societies in Sri Lanka is to establish the prevention of cruelty to animals ordinances and others such acts which, in Sri Lanka, are almost a century old and have never been practiced, as well as to update and revise the legislation on animal welfare.  For instance, slaughter of buffaloes, cows below a certain age and calves in prohibited in the Sri Lanka animal acts, but now not only buffaloes, even pregnant cows and day-old calves are slaughtered with impunity.   Animal sacrifice I homes by Muslims and in temples by Hindus, which was in abeyance, is back in full force.  Dogs and cats are killed and their flesh mixed with meat products to increase weight.

The cruelty against animals is unbelievable.  The day's meat requirement is met mostly through illicit slaughter.  Transport of animals for killing is brutally accomplished-overcrowded in lorries to suffocation point, bones crushed, legs broken, tails cut and eyes gouged out to curb their struggles.  After the last death-blow, the animal is skinned alive, burnt alive or put into boiling water, as in the case of fowl, to defeather them alive.  No government so far has even tried to change the cruel and barbaric methods of slaughter prevailing here.  This is in such sharp contrast to the period during the reign of the Sinhala kings, when even animal hospitals were set up (a first in the world), so serious was their dedication to the Buddha-word-"May all living beings be happy"!

One of the first actions of the present government, comprising Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims, was to start export of flesh, which was shunned even during colonial times.  Its attempt to legalize, in this "Buddhist" land, the cruel halal method of slaughter was prevented in the nick of time by animal rights demonstrators.

The animal welfare groups are agitating to introduce and ensure the practice of legislation to protect animals in the wild, in farms, or domesticated, so that the suffering inflicted on them is reduced to the minimum.  For instance, as done here, to plant sugar cane, which elephants relish, in elephant territory and then shoot to kill when they approach, is not good governance, but rank sadism.  The habitat of wild animals is being whittled away, with no substitute given; the farming practices are extremely cruel; animals used for service are treated like machines with scant regard for their basic needs or sensitivity and when unable to be of further service, discarded to die or be killed, and pets in homes are normally a neglected and ill-treated lot.  There is absolutely no authority to check the abuse.

If the Sri Lankan animal lovers are incapable of righting the horrendous wrongs, it is time they appealed to outsiders for help.  It should be noted that, when a representative of a well-known animal welfare organization came to meet a VVIP here to discuss matters, all he heard was, "Yes, thank you!" and not even a finger was lifted to take any remedial measures-at least the Sri Lankan animal lovers know whom to leave out of their calculations!  That is, all the politicians who are committed to safeguarding the fauna and flora in the island.