Government grants relief to families of Sri Lanka crocodile attack victims

The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed authorities to take measures to grant relief to the families affected by the crocodile attacks. Agrarian Services and Wildlife Minister S.M. Chandrasena has visited to inspect the 12-foot man-eating crocodile captured by the wildlife officers on Sunday from the Nilwala River in Malimbada of Matara district.
The authorities took quick measures to nab the croc after the death of an 18-year-old school girl Nuwanthika Sathsaran who was dragged away by the animal when she was washing her face at the bank of the river. A week earlier the same crocodile has taken away a mother of three who was washing clothes at the river. The Minister has met officials of the Wildlife Conservation Department and discussed future actions to prevent such attacks. Wildlife officials however, have warned the people to be vigilant despite capturing the killer croc as there may be other man-eating crocodiles in the river. According to the Minister, the government has taken measures to build a new house for Nuwanthika Sathsaran's family and to deposit 200,000 rupees in Bank accounts for the twin children of the mother who was killed by the crocodile and also to provide 100,000 rupees to build a house for them. The Minister has revealed plans to set up two crocodile conservation centers in Kirala Kele of Matara in Southern Province and in Muthurajawela wetlands south of Negombo in the Western Province. The Minister has instructed the wildlife officials to set up traps to capture crocodiles in areas where people gather frequently to minimize the crocodile attacks on people.