Saturday, December 30, 2017

YALA – 30th December 2017

A rather tragic experience at the Yala National Park…. Waiting in a long queue of safari jeeps from 5.00 a.m. in the morning to get a token… and getting token number # 168 (of the allotted 450 for the day) at around 6.00 a.m., we were finally able to enter the park around 7.00 p.m. Travelling from Palatupana to Patanangala through Buthawa… we experienced a technical fault in the jeep we were travelling. Therefore, for the rest of our journey was restricted to the heavily trafficked main trunk-road within the park.. Until we reached back to the Park entrance around 10.15 a.m
.

Yet, we managed to spot nine Mammalian species such as the Toque Monkey, Grey Langur, Indian Grey Mongoose, Ruddy Mongoose, a herd of Asian Elephants, Wild Pigs, Water Buffalo, Spotted Deer and Sambar. We also saw a Mugger Crocodile and many bird species including a juvenile Hawk Eagle, a juvenile White-bellied Fish Eagle & a pair of Sri Lankan Jungle-fowl.

5.00 a.m. along the road to Yala ticketing office










waiting till the # number is called










Patience.... 














finally at the entrance... at 7.00 a.m.










Jungle-fowl (male)










Jungle-fowl (female)











Indian Grey Mongoose










Ruddy Mongoose










Buthawa Lake











the Jeep @ Patanangala










Orange-breasted Green Pigeon














Juvenile - White-bellied Fish Eagle














Juvenile- Changeable Hawk Eagle














Wild Pig








Friday, December 29, 2017

BUNDALA – 29th December 2017

A three-&-a-half hour birding Safari in-&-around the Bundala National Park… starting from the Weligatta junction (around 2.30 p.m.), going along the Embilla kalapuwa on the main road up to the Park entrance, and travelling along the edges of Embilla Kalapuwa, Malala Kalapuwa up to pathiraja Ulpotha, and then returning back to the park entrance (around 6.00 p.m.).

Spotting 53 different bird species along the way, apart from other wild life such as Mugger Crocodiles, Star Tortoise, Flap-shell Turtle, Grey Langurs, Toque Monkeys, Ruddy Mongoose, Asian Elephants, Wild Pigs & Spotted Deer.

our place of stay- in front of the Tissa lake











Flap-shell Turtle











Star Tortoise











Mugger Crocodile











Weligatta Junction











Lesser Adjutant











Watercock











Painted stork - juvenile














Painted Stork














Painted Stork - relaxing














Black-tailed Godwit











Eurasian Spoonbill










Grey Heron














Purple Heron











Grey Heron - with pray










the soil layer with sea-shells in which
the oldest Human skeleton of Sri Lanka
 (dated 123,000 BC) had been found
















Safari Jeep - Dinesh - 0779 349 370










from Left; Aruna, Swarnathilaka, Jayampathi, Kumari,
 Kalyana, Mr. Sunil (wildlife tracker) & Dinesh (jeep Driver)





Thursday, December 14, 2017

Save Wilpattu - 2017-12-14

NO PARTY POLITICS !.  NO RACISM !!.
STANDING ONLY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT !!!

The Wilpattu Forest system consists of about nine (9) different forest reserves, of which the ‘Wilpattu National Park’ is a very popular wildlife tourist destination in Sri Lanka.
The entire Wilpattu Forest system spreads across approximately two-hundred thousand hectares, and belongs to the Puttalam, Mannar & Anuradhapura districts of the Island.  These three districts belong to three different provinces, namely the Wayamba, North-Central & Northern provinces. The Wilpattu forest patch is bordered by an eighty-two kilometer long costal belt on its West side.   
Consisting of many natural shallow water bodies known as ‘ Villu’, which are only fed by rain waters, the Wilpattu forest system is considered to be a very unique eco-system. The water quality of these villu’s differ  from fresh-water to brackish-water, and even to be saline in some.
Wilpattu forests are rich in bio-diversity, providing habitats to the Sri Lankan Elephants (Elephas maximus maximus), Sri Lankan Leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya) and Sloth Bears among many others. It also holds many unique Geological formations, & Archeological ruins including pre-historic burial grounds and ports within its protected forest areas.

The Western Ghats mountain range of India & Sri Lanka together, forms the eighth Bio-diversity Hot-spot of the world. The Wilpattu forest range acts as the link of this zone’s Indian & Sri Lankan parts. Most bird migrating to Sri Lanka along the coasts of India, enter Sri Lanka trough Wilpattu. Therefore, Wilpattu is declared as a protected area under both the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.
Unfortunately, a large area of forest land in the Northern parts of the Wilpattu forest system have been cut-down during the last decade, falsely claiming it to be a re-settlement project for war-refugees.  All the settlers belong to one minority ethnic group (Muslims), and nun seems to live there permanently – as they all are said to have permanent residences else-where. Therefore, it is clear that this project which has a disastrous impact on the Wilpattu Eco-system, is operated on a entire different political agenda.  Minister Rishard Badurdeen, who was also a  Minister during the former Government is directly behind this deforestation project, and it is sponsored both by Sri Lankan Government funds  and donations from countries such as Qatar.

Despite the continuous protests by environmentalist and nature-lovers, the deforestation in the area is happening at a rapid rate to-date. Only a very little action has been taken to save the forest cover which is diminishing fast. Therefore, members of many Environmental organizations and Nature loving citizens voluntarily took part in a peaceful demonstration on the 14th of December 2017. The participants of the rally urged the relevant Authorities and the International community to intervene in the struggle to ‘Protect Wilpattu’.

A oath named as the “Viharamahadevi Convention’ was taken by the participants of the rally, swearing not to back-up any corrupted politician at any time, involved in destroying the environment. And also, any politicians or political parties who are in alliance with such greedy-to-power corrupted politician are not to be backed-by any nature-lover.

A special report on the environmental destruction that has taken place at Willpattuwa was handed over to the UN office in Colombo, requesting the Un General Secretary to pay attention to this issue, as Willpattu is an eco-system of international importance.

Photos by: Dimal Silva