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| Wednesday, 17 November 2004 |
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by Florence Wickramage The Yala National Park is now open to the public after it was closed due to the drought and to ensure the safety of the wild animals in the park. Environment and Natural Resources Minister A.H.M. Fowzie attended the re-opening ceremony. Children in adjoining schools in the area took part in a tree-planting ceremony with the Minister to plant 200 varieties of plants. The Department of Wildlife Conservation carried out a series of development programmes during the closure period. The latest addition to the Yala National Park is a newly constructed Park Library and 10 large tanks to provide water for the wild animals, Director General (DWLC) Dayananda Kariyawasam said. Kariyawasam said the library consists of books detailing the biodiversity of the 241370 acre park including the species of animals and trees found within. According to statistics, there are 42 varieties of animals, 40 varieties of butterflies, 282 varieties of birds, 37 varieties of fish, 48 varieties of reptiles, 14 varieties of amphibians and 280 varieties of trees. The road network within the park was upgraded for the convenience of visitors along with other improvements to the landscape according to the instructions of Minister Fowzie that all the national parks under the purview of the DWLC be beautified to attract more visitors which in turn would boost the country's tourism industry. |
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