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| Saturday, 19 June 2004 |
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Lankan traditional 'game parks' Sri Lanka the pearl of the Indian Ocean, which has produced many firsts to the world also boast of world's first bird sanctuary dating back to 3rd century B.C.
In respect of Buddhist traditions, which teach kindness and compassion to all living creatures, ancient rulers set aside large areas of land as reserves for rain catchment and for wild life preservation. Udawattekele Sanctuary in Kandy and the Sinharaja Rain Forest Reserve were some of the traditional 'game parks' preserved by ancient rulers. However with colonization, elephants and peacocks from the Sri Lankan jungles were exported to the Kingdoms of East and West. However other than peacocks, small birds were not in grave danger. Only the hunters would gun them down and with the war situation in the past two decades, these hunters were not a threat to both local and migrant birds. Udawattekele located at the North of Kandy has deep forests with many endemic birds, butterflies and plants. It is home to the 'lyre-headed lizard' found only in the rainforests of Sri Lanka. One can walk through this reserve with an experienced guide along good tracks. Birds include Layard's Parakeet, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Yellow-fronted Barbet, Ceylon Small Barbet, Black-capped Bulbul, Brown-capped Babbler, Gold-fronted Leafbirds, Blue-winged Leafbirds, Emerald Dove, Brown Flycatcher, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater and Tickell's Blue Flycatcher.
Kalamatiya is another place which has a mature mangrove swamp with a variety of water birds. The best time to see birds is between November and March. There are herds of elephants too. Bird life includes Cattle Egret, Intermediate Egret, Great Egret, Asian Openbill, Eurasian Spoonbill, Purple Swamphen, Glossy Ibis, Common Snipe, Black-winged Stile. Migrant birds include Pintail, Golden Plover, Greater and Lesser Sand Plovers, Kentish Plover, Curlew, Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Yellow Wagtail. Kalani Vally too was established as a forest reserve. It is home to many of Sri Lanka's endemic fauna and flora. It is a rainforest. Bird life includes: Green Billed Coucal, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Red-faced Malkoha, Yellow-fronted Barbet, Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Rufous Babbler, Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, Spot-winged Thrush, Malabar Trogon, Lesser Yellow-naped Woodpecker, Pygmy Woodpecker, Crimson-baked Woodpecker, Black-naped Flycatcher, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Dollarbird, Green Imperial Pigeon, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch and Black Bulbul. Bundala comprising of scrub jungle bordering the sea, stretches along the coast east of Hambantota. The beach is an important nesting site for turtles. Wildlife includes elephants, spotted deer, grey langur, jackal, water monitor, crocodiles, the olive ridley and leatherback turtles, the hawksbill and green turtles. Today human interests and wildlife interests are in direct conflict. It is imperative that private organizations with resources should step into and fill the areas that need immediate attention such as environmental education and long term research, and develop integrated projects for community based conservation. |
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