Wildlife officials from the Kandegama Beat Office attached to the Maduru Oya National Park have arrested four suspects possessing porcupine meat and illegal firearms during a series of patrol raids.During routine patrols within the national park, wildlife officers spotted several individuals, leading to a pursuit that resulted in the arrest of four suspected poachers in possession of porcupine meat. In further search operations, two additional individuals illegally trespassing inside the park were detained and two locally manufactured firearms (kotana tuwakku) were seized by wildlife authorities.On the same day, another suspect engaged in illegal hunting within the park was arrested alongside a slaughtered mouse deer (meeminna).

All the suspects were produced before the Dehiattakandiya Magistrate’s Court, where they were released on personal bail of Rs. 100,000 each. The case is scheduled to be recalled on November 13.