Sigiriya, Sri Lanka: A large-scale racket of uprooting trees in the Sigiriya forest reserve and selling them to a hotel project was foiled by the wildlife conservators yesterday.

During the raid, they arrested two suspects and seized a large stock of Bolpana trees, a plant species endemic to the area and endangered with extinction, transported to the Gedigaswalana area to be planted in the hotel ground.

Officials said the suspects had dug up the earth around the tree and uprooted it without causing damage to the root system, and transported them for replanting. The suspects were to be produced before the Dambulla Magistrate.

A team of wildlife conservators including Range Wildlife Conservators S.S.Malinda, D.M.Nilantha and A.D.B.Dhanushka carried out the raid.

Source: (Daily Mirror)