Protecting wildlife

The seizure by the Wild Life Department of four leopard skins and a Rhino horn from the custody of two businessmen should awaken the authorities to the possibility of a large scale racket in the smuggling of animal parts out of the country.

While the Rhino horn is of African origin there were gunshot marks on the leopard skins. It is any one’s guess as to where the animals were killed. Anyway illegal possession of animal parts carries a heavy fine or jail term here but we are yet to hear of any big time offender being brought to book.

The leopard we are told is a protected species which is on the verge of extinction in Sri Lanka similar to India’s dwindling tiger population. In India though the law is strictly being enforced so much so that recently even a Bollywood icon who was charged with shooting an endangered animal was arraigned before courts and thrown behind bars.

Animal hides are in high demand in some countries.

So are elephant tusks and certain parts of the animal anatomy which are used to prepare aphrodisiac concoctions. Therefore, the sale in animal parts has become a lucrative trade internationally and poaching has resulted in the dwindling of some of the most exotic animals in the world.

Sri Lanka over the years has seen some of her endemic animals and plants surreptitious smuggled out of the country by unscrupulous elements sometimes with the connivance of corrupt officials.

Not long ago there was this well publicised incident of the export of a rare plant by a prominent exporter which was surreptitiously done so as not to arouse suspicion until the final detection.

It is anybody’s guess how many such endemic plant varieties are being exported undetected. There were also detections made of certain amphibian and insect varieties that were endemic to Sri Lanka.

Today it is no secret that most of these shipments go past the Customs undetected and it is time that the authorities take a serious view on the unfolding development lest the country loses all her valuable flora and fauna.

The Government should also address the problem of the rapidly dwindling forest cover which has endangered the habitats of our animals.

The plight faced by our elephants is a case in point.

True, expanding urbanisation and rapid population expansion has compelled the clearing of large swaths of forest cover. But it is prudent that we have sustainable development which has today become a watchword in developed countries so that our future generation could enjoy the country’s rich biodiversity in all its glory.

Life, not as we know it

Giant strides made by medical science has thrown up the possibility of producing a healthy new generation free of inherited diseases.

According to our front page new item yesterday British scientists say they have created human embryos containing DNA from two women and a man in a procedure that researchers hope would be used one day to produce embryos free of inherited disease.

Though the preliminary research has raised concern about the possibility of genetically modified babies the scientists say that the embryos are still only primarily the product of one man and woman.

The experiment if successful would represent a revolutionary breakthrough in medical science that would be a harbinger of a healthy, human race.

According to one of the researchers quoted in the news item it is not a case of altering the genes but merely swapping a small portion of the bad ones with some good ones. It is also wrong to suggest that the embryo will have three parents since only a trace amount of genes will be transferred.

The experiment will ensure genetically induced disease as a thing of the past and give families who might otherwise have a bleak future a chance to avoid some very grave diseases.

The breakthrough in the long run would also obviate the need for the vast funds spent on research to combat genetically based diseases and also greatly reduce health budgets of poorer countries.

The experiment highlights the miracles wrought by DNA analysis which has today become an integral part in crime detection and pathology.

It is hoped that the new research will culminate in more such experiments to conquer hitherto incurable diseases such as cancer so that life would be a pleasant experience for all beings.