Buffaloes on verge of extinction

by S.M. Wijayaratne, Kurunegala Cor.

Buffaloes in Kurunegala and Puttalam Districts of the NWP face extinction due to slaughtering and lack of pastures for them.

A senior official of the Police Department in Kurunegala told that 12 lorries transporting buffaloes and cattle illegally were arrested during past three months and the suspects arrested have confessed that those buffaloes were transforted to far off places for slaughtering. Nearly 4200 buffaloes are slaughtered annually in the NWP and hence the extinction of buffaloes is unavoidable due to existing plight, said, the President of Kurunegala District Small Farmers' organisation J.M. Jayabahu at a meeting of representatives of farmers' organisations of the North Western Province.

He said that latest machinery has taken the due place of buffaloes and only a few dairy farmers rear buffaloes for manufacturing curd.

"However, the Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock Development, and all Provincial Councils should take early steps to conserve the buffaloes, which is the ancient symbol of Agriculture in Sri Lanka, for our future generations, Jayabahu said.