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Illicitly slaughtered innocents’ blood turns Kalu Ganga red by night
View(s):Callous, cruel midnight slaughter of pregnant buffaloes and calves on the river banks continues unabated while police prefer not to know
By Ranee Mohamed
It happens in the dead of night- pregnant buffaloes and buffalo calves, are dragged towards trees near the Kalu Ganga, and slaughtered. The residents of Wettumakada Handiya in Kalutara are not just saddened; they are appalled and horrified by the scale of man’s absolute cruelty to beasts of burden.
‘There are flies and insects feeding on the heads, entrails and battered feet lying around. The stench is unbearable. Our children have to live with the stench, and with the pieces of teeth, skin and tails strewn all over our compounds by feeding birds,” said a resident.
As darkness falls, fear sets in; the fear of inevitable death to come – the fear of helplessness and despair. ‘Then we hear the unbearable groaning and screaming of these poor helpless animals. It is a cry for help that cannot be erased from our minds, for it resonates through us during the day. A cruelty that defies description, which lives with us day and night. The animals are first tied by their necks to a tree near the river, and dragged as close as possible to the tree. Then, their legs are tied together, and they are toppled, when their necks are cut while struggling for dear life,” said resident Neranjan Silva, a businessman and a resident of Wettumakada Handiya.
Silva went on to say that a group of residents who witnessed the killings were numb with shock. Describing the events ‘as the greatest sin’ they have witnessed, he said that the pregnant animals were treated in a way that even animals would not treat each other. Speaking of a ‘relish’ for calf meat that is sold as mutton, Silva said that innocent young animals are made to undergo an agony that is unbearable even to watch.
“There is a great demand for the foetus and calves because they fetch a high price when sold as mutton. There is an abattoir in the vicinity, but buffaloe slaughter is illegal,” explained another resident who requested anonymity.
“My children bathe in this river and I can’t fight these people,” said another resident Nimal Silva.
Residents speaking to the Sunday Times said that the slaughter of buffaloes, allegedly taking place to cater to the needs of four beef stalls, are illegal.
“It is illegal to slaughter buffaloes, their calves and pregnant animals. The police, when informed, arrive well after the animals have been slaughtered and their remains cleared. Hence, we have stopped informing the police,” they said.
However, they went on to speak glowingly of a new crimes OIC who had recently queried about cows without owners, being mysteriously tied to trees in the day time.
‘All this happens at night. There is some unexplainable force behind all this. That is why over 400 cows and buffaloes have died the most gruesome death,” said Silva.The killing near the Kalu Ganga continues, and just like the flow of the river, there seems to be no stopping. The ‘killers’ realise that slaughtering near the river is so much more convenient, not only to wash the blood off their hands, but also the non-essential parts of the animals, not to mention their sins.
While this helpless village of Wettumakada Handiya is grieving for the helpless animals, they are also concerned about their health. The fact that hides, tails, eyes, horns and heads are thrown into the Kalu Ganga, only compounds the health hazard for those who use this river further downstream.
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