The crudia zeylanica tree in Daraluwa, which was on the brink of becoming extinct, was ordained today by a Buddhist monk in order to protect the tree.

The tree, which has been featured on the IUCN red list due to its rarity, was about to be removed to facilitate the construction of the Central Expressway.

The Buddhist ritual performed earlier today would make the removal of the tree from its current location complicated mainly due to religious sensitivities.

Meanwhile, Devanee Jayatileke, the Wildlife Departmet official in Gampaha who was instrumental in protecting the tree, is now under investigation for speaking to the media about the matter without prior approval from the Department.