Fabricated comments on Sri Lanka animal cruelty bill misattributed to Catholic official

Published on August 13, 2026 at 10:51
3 min read
By Harshana SILVA, AFP Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has proposed an animal welfare bill to prevent cruelty, but a fabricated news graphic being shared in social media posts falsely claims the archbishop of Colombo praised the ban on elephant chains, saying it would eventually stop the animals from being used in Buddhist processions. Newswire told AFP that the graphic is fake, while a spokesperson for Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said he never made such a comment.

"No matter how much you try, it's useless. You cannot destroy Buddhism. Keep in mind that this is the land of Buddha and the land of Sinhalese," reads a Sinhala-language Facebook post from August 4, 2026.

A news graphic purportedly from media outlet Newswire was shared alongside the post. It features an image of Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo and head of Sri Lanka's Catholic Church, and an image of an elephant decked out in lights (archived here and here).

Overlaid Sinhala text on the graphic, attributed to the cardinal, says: "The government acted smartly by banning elephant chains rather than banning perahera outright. Now, the perahera will slowly disappear, while also preventing cruelty to elephants. The Tamil, Muslim and Catholic communities are with the government."

Peraheras -- an annual religious processions held across Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka -- features dancers, drummers, fire-breathers, and lavishly dressed elephants (archived here and here).

Screenshot of the false post captured on August 11, 2026 with red X added by AFP

Similar claims sharing the same graphic circulated elsewhere on Facebook after the Sri Lankan government introduced a new Animal Welfare Bill to strengthen laws protecting animals and prevent acts of cruelty in the island nation (archived link).

The bill was gazetted on July 17 and is waiting to be passed by parliament. If passed, it will increase fines to up to 250,000 rupees (USD$748), imprisonment for up to two years, or both, for those convicted of animal cruelty.

While animal welfare groups hailed the long-overdue legislation, some argue that certain provisions require clarification and refinement, and opposition parties have called for amendments, saying the law would restrict the use of elephants in perahera (archived here, here, here and here).

Comments from users also seem divided, with some supporting the cardinal while others called him an "enemy of Buddhism", but the graphic is fabricated.

Fabricated quote

AFP reached out to Newswire, which denied publishing the graphic and called it "fake."

"We have not published any news report, graphic, or social media post containing the alleged quote attributed to His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, nor have we published any report quoting the Cardinal in relation to the Perahera or the matters mentioned in the circulating claim," Newswire told AFP in an email on August 7.

In a clarification posted on its official Facebook account on August 5, the news outlet said it has contacted Meta "regarding the unauthorised use of our logo and branding" (archived link).

The cardinal's spokesperson, Cyril Gamini Fernando, also denied the circulating graphic.

"(The) cardinal has never made such a statement. This is fake. Cardinal's stand is that we live in a country based on Buddhist culture; hence, we should protect it. Dalada Perahera is one of the most important religious and also a cultural event in this country," Fernando told AFP in a WhatsApp message on August 7.

A reverse image search on the photo of Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith used in the purported graphic found it was an AFP image taken on April 3, 2025.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the head of Sri Lanka's Catholic Church, speaks to media personnel in Colombo on April 3, 2025, announcing plans to mark the 6th anniversary of the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks. (AFP / Ishara S. KODIKARA)

Keyword searches also did not find any authentic news reports about the cardinal speaking about the bill or perahera.

AFP reviewed the bill and found that the draft law permits the use of animals, including elephants, in religious and cultural activities, provided they are not harmed. At the same time, it prohibits acts of cruelty and unnecessary pain or suffering against animals (archived link).

Sri Lanka's minister in charge of Buddhist Affairs, Gamagedara Dissanayake, was also reported by local media as saying that the bill will not cause "any hindrance to perahera activities" (archived link).

AFP has previously debunked misinformation stemming from fake news graphics in Sri Lanka.

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