Culture minister condemns event in which police dog 'couples' were dressed up and 'married' on traditional decorated platform

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

Sri Lankan police apologised on Tuesday for holding a group wedding ceremony for sniffer dogs after the country's culture minister condemned the event and demanded an investigation.

Nine pairs of police dogs dressed in shawls, hats and socks were placed on a decorated platform like those used in traditional weddings in the ceremony in the central town of Kandy. Their marriages were registered by an official in the presence of vets, doctors, senior police officers and the public.

Local television showed the canine couples being driven away in a decorated police jeep for their "honeymoons". The ceremony attracted wide publicity, and strong criticism from cultural officials.

The culture and arts minister, TB Ekananayake, said the ceremony undermined traditional wedding rituals and should be strongly condemned. He called for an investigation.

Police spokesman Buddhika Siriwardena apologised for any damage to the country's cultural heritage, saying the goal was to breed sniffer dogs domestically.

"This programme is aimed at breeding dogs accustomed to local weather and food, thereby saving money," Siriwardena said, adding that in 2011 the police department spent more than £300,000 importing sniffer dogs from the Netherlands.