Sigiriya wasp colonies will not be removed: minister

Tennakoon KULASEKERA

Wasp colonies in Sigiriya will be protected and no one will be allowed to remove them from the Sigiriya rock, Agrarain Service and Wildlife Minister S M Chandrasena said.

He said the Wildlife Department is in charge of the maintenance and protection of the Sigiriya sanctuary. "No one will be allowed to harm the animals, birds and other creatures found there. According to reports, certain people had set fire to the honeycombs along with the wasps in an effort to remove them from Sigiriya," the minister said.

He said the authorities should devise a practical way to protect visitors to Sigiriya from wasp attacks rather than trying to disturb the eco-system there by relocating wasp colonies.