WILPATTU REBORN

Dharman Wickramaratne

The tragic events that heralded the dark era of the Wilpattu National Park began 25 years ago. The man who figured prominently in that unfortunate period of Wilpattu is Lionel Sirimalwatte, residing at Parana Maragahawewa, Wilpattu junction. Now aged 63, he is the nephew of Kalu Mahattaya who first started jeep safaris in Wilpattu.

Lionel recalls the time in 1971 when he used to drive a left-hand driven jeep that ran on petrol.

On the morning of May 14, 1985 he and the drivers of three other jeeps were waiting near the grocery of Wimale Mudalali to take a group of tourists to the National Park. Lionel’s vehicle was an Isuzu 3055.

He was the first to see the bus loaded with LTTE terrorists coming from Anuradhapura. Sensing danger he promptly hid in the nearby jungle. The terrorists killed a jeep driver, entered the jungle and killed 24 Wildlife Conservation Department employees.

Lionel ran to the spot to find two of the victims still alive and rushed them to the Nochchiyagama hospital with the help of villagers.

It was he who made the first complaint of the attack to the Nochchiyagama Police.

Today, as the Wilpattu Safari Jeep Owners Association’s Secretary, Lionel is about to turn a new chapter in his life. He is one of the hundreds of people in the area who deeply appreciate Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s accelerated program to revive Wilpattu.

Looking around a visitor cannot miss the memorial for Adeline Vitharana who was brutally murdered by her lover Jayalal Anandagoda close to the National Park on the Anuradhapura-Puttalam Road in 1959.

Two other murders occurred at Wilpattu the same year. Two game guards were killed by poachers. Another employee was killed by insurgents during the April 1971 insurrection. Tiger terrorists who killed 24 employees in 1985 became the national park’s unofficial administrators thereafter. Consequently poaching and illegal logging commenced in the park on a grand scale. There were instances of robbing of archaeological treasures too. On August 13, 2000 two fishermen were killed near the Andaragollewa tank. On September 17 of the same year a missile was fired at a plane that flew over Wilpattu. In and round the area LTTE terrorists were on rampage.

The Wilpattu junction, earlier appeared like a jeep sales centre was desolate. Hundreds of village families who made a living from tourism in Wilpattu lost their source of income. Their lives became miserable. Two attempts were made to reopen the National Park.

Three years after it was first reopened on March 16, 2003. Several visitors including novelist Nihal Silva were killed in a landmine blast at Kattarambuvilli (on May 26, 2006). The park was closed again. On March 9, the following year terrorists killed Park Warden Pushpananda and seven others. The park was formally reopened for the second time on February 27, 2010 but actually opened to visitors only after Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s observation tour of the park, Nochchiyagama Pradeshiya Sabha Member Gamini Jayatilleke said.

Not only facilities for tourists visiting the national park are being provided but also the infrastructure to watch wild creatures is also being built. The work will be completed by August 15 this year. It is constantly monitored by Wildlife and Parks Director-General, Dr Harischandra Pathiraja under Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

The estimated cost of the project is nearly Rs 15 million. All work is being done jointly by public and private sectors and the workforce comprises Army, Navy and

the Civil Defence Force personnel. Two hundred unarmed Civil Defence Force men are daily engaged in cleaning a 50 hectares on either side of a five-metre stretch from the entry points to the park. Already work in 25 hectares has been completed for providing wild animals with food and making it possible for tourists to conveniently observe wildlife. Four tourist lodges have been repaired and two camps have also been built for visitors to spend the night in the park.

Wilpattu is Sri Lanka’s one of the most important and oldest national parks. It was upgraded to a national park on February 25, 1938. The existence of about 40 “Willus”, main ones being 27, earned the name Wilpattu for the park.

It is bordered by the Modaragam aru in the south the Kala Oya in the north and the Indian Ocean in the west. The distance from Colombo to the national park office via Puttalam is 185 kilometres. From Anuradhapura it is 40 km and from Puttalam 51 km.

It is a wildlife paradise which is also steeped in history and covered with legend. According to the ancient Chronicle Mahawamsa in 543 BC King Vijaya landed at Kudirimalai Point (Horse Point). According to some ancient ruins identified, Kuweni lived in the place now identified as the Kali Villu. Both Kudirimalai and Kali Villu are found in Wilpattu.

History shows that Prince Saliya, son of King Dutugemunu, lived with Asokamala in Maradanmaduwa in Wilpattu over 2000 years ago. Pomparippu too is of historical value as urns containing the remains of those belonging to pre Vijayan times have been excavated from that site.

Wilpattu, haven for wildlife

Area: 131,693 hectares Located: 152m above the sea level Declared a sanctuary in 1909 Districts: Puttalam, Anuradhapura and Mannar Special attractions: Leopards, 40 sand rimmed water basins (Willus) Other attractions: Around 60 lakes and tanks

Many are the types of vegetation found in Wilpattu; Littoral vegetation, including Salt grass and low scrub monsoon forest with tall trees, such as palu and satin, milla, weera, ebony and wewarna. There are 149 bird species in Wilpattu where both migratory birds and indigenous species can be seen.

The open bill and little cormorant, along with many species of owls, terns, gulls, eagles, kites buzzards are among them. Also found in the park are 41 species of mammals, 30 species of freshwater fish - of which 28 are indigenous to Sri Lanka - 57 species of reptiles and 17 species of amphibians. Among the endangered mammals are the elephant, sloth bear and leopard.

Of the country’s national parks, Wasgamuwa is famous for elephants, Horton Plains for sambur and Wilpattu for leopards. During our tour of the area we met all nature traveler Veecligh E from the Netherlands. He told us that he saw four leopards while his father had seen nine leopards during a visit to Wilpattu on March 10, 1978.

The park has seven circuit bungalows situated in Maradanmaduwa, Pannikar Villu, Kalli Villu, Mena Villu, Thala Villu, Manikkapola Uttu and Kokmottai. Six of them are still not habitable due to various conditions prevailed in these areas. All the bungalows in the park are being repaired and renovated.

These include the ones in Kokmottai, Manorial and Panikkawila. Unique among them is the 40 year-old two-storey wooden bungalow in Kokmottai. The renovation of the bungalow will cost Rs.1.6 million once completed it can accommodate 10 visitors including two children at a time. Constructed near Modaragam Oya it is the first such bungalow built in the national park. The Manawila bungalow will accommodate 10 people and a new building that can accommodate 20 visitors has been planned for Maradamaduwa. The bungalows at Maradamaduwa and Manikkapollan and the Kaliwillu tourist bungalow which was constructed and stopped half-way will also come under the development scheme.

Following the Minister’s instructions to complete the rehabilitation work within three months, Wilpattu is now preparing for a revival. Wilpattu has surprisingly entered a new era after three decades.

[email protected]