Deputy Minister of Economic Development Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said steps have been taken to name the sea area in Hikkaduwa, with popular coral reef, a special protected area.
The Minister said the reef would be divided into two areas and one area will be reserved for diving while the other area will be made available for boat riders to view the coral reef.
He said that the government will take steps to register all the boats that take the tourists to view the corals.
The recently re-opened Hikkaduwa Marine National Park, one of the two marine national parks in Sri Lanka, fringes a coral reef of high degree of biodiversity.
The Minister said the park, remodeled to provide tourists a chance to have a well-organized and safe recreational experience at affordable prices, offers a diverse collection of sea creatures as well as beautiful reefs of various corals. (niz)
Source:http://www.news.lk/home/18554-hikkaduwa-sea-a-special-tourist-protected-area
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Measures to conserve Hikkaduwa coral reef of Sri Lanka
Colombo: Deputy Minister of Economic Development Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said the Sri Lankan government had taken measures to name the sea area in Hikkaduwa, with popular coral reef, a special protected area.
The Minister further said the reef would be divided into two areas and one area is to be reserved for diving while the other will be made available for boat riders to view the reef.
The government will take steps to register all the boats that take the tourists to view the corals, the Minister said.
The recently re-opened Hikkaduwa Marine National Park, one of the two marine national parks in Sri Lanka, fringes a coral reef of high degree of biodiversity.
The government says the park, remodeled to provide tourists a chance to have a well-organized and safe recreational experience at affordable prices, offers a diverse collection of sea creatures as well as beautiful reefs of various corals.
Source:http://www.colombopage.com/archive_11A/Jul25_1311571422CH.php
The Minister further said the reef would be divided into two areas and one area is to be reserved for diving while the other will be made available for boat riders to view the reef.
The government will take steps to register all the boats that take the tourists to view the corals, the Minister said.
The recently re-opened Hikkaduwa Marine National Park, one of the two marine national parks in Sri Lanka, fringes a coral reef of high degree of biodiversity.
The government says the park, remodeled to provide tourists a chance to have a well-organized and safe recreational experience at affordable prices, offers a diverse collection of sea creatures as well as beautiful reefs of various corals.
Source:http://www.colombopage.com/archive_11A/Jul25_1311571422CH.php
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Corals under bleach attack
| Marine scientists stress the need to monitor our reefs in the East Coast | |||||
| The International Day of Biological Diversity falls next Saturday, May 22. With the UN’s latest Global Biodiversity Outlook report highlighting corals as the species most at risk, marine specialists are warning that corals in Sri Lanka face a new threat – Malaka Rodrigo reports | |||||
| Have you taken a shower in the middle of the day these past few months and winced at the heat of the water gushing through in the first few minutes? The intense heat is not just affecting us, it is affecting corals – the delicate organisms in the sea that are exposed to the sun all day long. “We have seen early signs of coral bleaching in the East Coast recently,” says Prasanna Weerakkodi, a marine environmentalist and regular diver who showed us a series of photos taken during a dive two weeks ago near Coral Island and Pigeon Island. The corals are pale in colour or have turned completely white. Some corals are deep purple and that too is an early sign of bleaching, he says, warning that about 50% - 60% of the corals in Pigeon Island and nearby Coral Island are partially bleached while about 5% are completely dead.
Coral bleaching occurs when coral polyps, the organisms that build corals, shed the algae (zooxanthellae) that gives them their colour. These tiny algae live in harmony with the corals and provide food for the host through the process of photosynthesis. Without this algae, the coral looks pale white and the coral polyps can be exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Without food, oxygen or cover from dangerous rays, the coral polyps in the reef will die a few weeks after they start getting paler. Our corals show signs of entering into the first stage of such a bleaching explains Mr. Weerakkodi. Coral scientists believe warming waters are the most likely cause of these bleaching events. The Indian Ocean experienced its worst coral bleaching in 1998 due to a warm oceanic current. The Sea Surface Temperature (SST) of some parts of the Indian Ocean had gone up due to the La Nina climatic phenomenon at that time and resulted in warm oceanic currents killing pristine coral reefs in many parts of Sri Lanka, including the Hikkaduwa coral reef that is still to recover. However, the corals in the East Coast escaped the 1998 coral bleaching. According to recent Sea Surface Temperature data, it is now around 32 C where the normal average temperature should be around 28 C. This increase could have triggered the bleaching. A regional warning of a possible coral bleaching has been issued. Sri Lankan marine biologists are also in touch with their Maldivian colleagues. If the sea’s temperature goes down, or cool upswells come to the rescue, healthy corals also have the ability to recover. “It is too early to say whether this will develop into a full-scale coral bleaching event as happened in 1998. But it is important to monitor the phenomenon,” Mr. Weerakkodi pointed out. Marine biologist for the National Aquatic Resources Research & Development Agency (NARA) Arjan Rajasuriya, recently reported some dying corals in reefs near Galle. After the severe bleaching of 1998, corals in many areas in Sri Lanka showed temporary bleaching during the months of April/May/June when temperatures are high. Some corals die, but others recover after the conditions return to normalcy. However, if the warm conditions prevail for long, it could be deadly. Arjan recalls the coral bleaching in 1998 had occurred during April/May and within a few weeks it sealed the fate of many coral reefs like those in Hikkaduwa. Nishan Perera, another marine specialist, who was diving at Trincomalee a few weeks ago, verified the bleaching of corals and reported severe bleaching in the Dutch Bay area. This year the early part of the monsoon was a bit slack which might have contributed to this situation, he feels. “If conditions become normal soon it should not be a problem, but otherwise there can be some coral mortality,” he says. Can anything be done? “Keeping the corals healthy is the only way to fight this global phenomenon,” says the NARA officer. Corals that are not healthy lose the ability to adapt to changes in their environment. Frequent fishing, pollution from land-based sources, dynamiting reefs, and sedimentation are other threats to the reef ecosystem which reduce their ability to withstand a catastrophe like bleaching.
Marine experts also say it is important to pay more attention to the corals in the East coast. “The West coast is experiencing the monsoon these days which will cool the seas a little, while regular cloud cover will also reduce the heat,” Arjan says. But the East coast is not so fortunate and is also experiencing new threats. Pollution and over-fishing were not problems earlier as the Eastern and Northern seas were restricted due to security reasons, but this is changing after the war and over-visitation is already causing problems to fragile marine national parks like Pigeon Island. Save the wrecks  Destroying them will destroy budding corals as well as harm the fisheries industry. “This is like killing the hen that lays the golden eggs,” said Arjan highlighting the value of these wrecks. They could even be a tourist attraction, so keep them intact, appeals the marine biologist. Corals heading towards rapid extinction The Global Biodiversity Outlook report backed by IUCN’s (International Union for Conservation of Nature) data shows coral species are heading most rapidly towards extinction, while Amphibians are on average the group most threatened. According to the Red List Index shown in the graph, a value of 1.0 indicates that all species in a group would be considered as being of Least Concern (not expected to become extinct in the near future) and a value of 0 would indicate that all species in a group have become extinct. Source:http://sundaytimes.lk/100516/Plus/plus_12.html |
DWC needs separate Marine Unit to manage Marine National Parks
Pigeon Island had also faced destruction in the past. In early 1980, the reef was attacked by coral-eating star fish to the point of extinction, reducing the live coral cover considerably. Subsequently, the reef recovered. Coral scientists say that Pigeon Island corals, like any ecosystem, has the ability to recover, but points out the need for management measures to assist the recovery, as it is a slow and sensitive process.
Pigeon Island is one of the Marine National Parks under the purview of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), which had recently started issuing tickets for visitors to the island. Though they can do very little to prevent bleaching, they can definitely help in the recovery of Pigeon Island’s coral Reef. However, DWC activities are sadly restricted to issuing and supervision of tickets on the island, some foot-patrols on the beach, and a few boat trips. A DWC officer confirms that wildlife officers are unaware of the seriousness of the threat faced by underwater corals.
But they are not to be totally blamed. All DWC officers are trained to manage land-based national parks. But, if the two ecosystems are compared, destruction of the corals is similar to the destruction of half of Sinharaja forest, as coral reefs refuge a multitude of marine biodiversity- also known as the Rainforest of the ocean. But sadly this destruction is evident only to those who dive. Hence, DWC officers who do not dive or snorkel cannot monitor the underwater destruction.
At a recent biodiversity forum, it was queried as to how many DWC officers could actually swim. Diver-conservationist Dr Malik Fernando said at a Sustainable Biodiversity & Economic Development forum that they had trained a group of Hikkaduwa Wildlife Officers to dive, to monitor the reef, but all of them were transferred to another terrestrial National Park, wasting their effort. So, it is the time to establish a separate Marine Biodiversity Management Unit by the DWC, said Dr. Fernando. This unit should be given resources and should comprise of divers capable of monitoring issues related to marine ecosystems.
As a perfect example of underwater patrols, Marine Biologist Nishan Perera who dived off Pigeon Island last year, discovered illegal fishing activities going undetected even within the Marine National Park, where he came across a fish trap set up on top of the corals. Fishermen would have set it up in the morning or at night, when the DWC officers are not present at the beach. While humans can do very little to prevent coral bleaching, the DWC can definitely help in the recovery of the reef. Arresting illicit fishing is something that needs to be enforced immediately.
Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara of the University of Ruhuna, also revealed bad impacts of fishing. After corals die, many different algae such as coral polyps grow on them, and are found in many coral colonies, disrupting the settling of new coral colonies. But there are fish such as sea urchins, which feed on these algae such as coral polyps, contributing to the speedy recovery of the reef. But sea urchins are caught in quantities by fish collectors retarding the process of a faster recovery of the reef. Therefore it is important that illicit fishing be stopped.
Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110724/News/nws_77.html
Pigeon Island is one of the Marine National Parks under the purview of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), which had recently started issuing tickets for visitors to the island. Though they can do very little to prevent bleaching, they can definitely help in the recovery of Pigeon Island’s coral Reef. However, DWC activities are sadly restricted to issuing and supervision of tickets on the island, some foot-patrols on the beach, and a few boat trips. A DWC officer confirms that wildlife officers are unaware of the seriousness of the threat faced by underwater corals.
But they are not to be totally blamed. All DWC officers are trained to manage land-based national parks. But, if the two ecosystems are compared, destruction of the corals is similar to the destruction of half of Sinharaja forest, as coral reefs refuge a multitude of marine biodiversity- also known as the Rainforest of the ocean. But sadly this destruction is evident only to those who dive. Hence, DWC officers who do not dive or snorkel cannot monitor the underwater destruction.
At a recent biodiversity forum, it was queried as to how many DWC officers could actually swim. Diver-conservationist Dr Malik Fernando said at a Sustainable Biodiversity & Economic Development forum that they had trained a group of Hikkaduwa Wildlife Officers to dive, to monitor the reef, but all of them were transferred to another terrestrial National Park, wasting their effort. So, it is the time to establish a separate Marine Biodiversity Management Unit by the DWC, said Dr. Fernando. This unit should be given resources and should comprise of divers capable of monitoring issues related to marine ecosystems.
As a perfect example of underwater patrols, Marine Biologist Nishan Perera who dived off Pigeon Island last year, discovered illegal fishing activities going undetected even within the Marine National Park, where he came across a fish trap set up on top of the corals. Fishermen would have set it up in the morning or at night, when the DWC officers are not present at the beach. While humans can do very little to prevent coral bleaching, the DWC can definitely help in the recovery of the reef. Arresting illicit fishing is something that needs to be enforced immediately.
Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara of the University of Ruhuna, also revealed bad impacts of fishing. After corals die, many different algae such as coral polyps grow on them, and are found in many coral colonies, disrupting the settling of new coral colonies. But there are fish such as sea urchins, which feed on these algae such as coral polyps, contributing to the speedy recovery of the reef. But sea urchins are caught in quantities by fish collectors retarding the process of a faster recovery of the reef. Therefore it is important that illicit fishing be stopped.
Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110724/News/nws_77.html
Pigeon Island a coral tomb
| DWC sans training in diving, out of its depth to protect, manage Marine National Parks | |||||
| By Malaka Rodrigo | |||||
| Last year, The Sunday Times of May 16 reported that, sections of Pigeon Island corals were under bleach attack, and ‘dying’ a natural death. This exclusive article titled ‘Corals under Bleach Attack’ highlighted the need to monitor this pristine reef. Recently, those who dived off Pigeon Island, confirm the worst has happened, with large areas of corals destroyed. But, are the guardians alert to monitor and protect this valuable reef? Pigeon Island reef: Before bleaching – Pic by Nishan Perera  Pigeon Island reef: Today – Pic by Dharshana Jayawardena  Coral bleaching is one of the worst destructive natural phenomena faced by corals worldwide. It occurs when coral polyps- the organisms that build corals, shed the algae zooxanthellae that give them their colour. These tiny algae, which live in harmony with the corals, also provide food for the host through the process of photosynthesis. Without this algae, the coral looks pale white and the coral polyps can be exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Without food, oxygen or cover from dangerous rays, the coral polyps in the reef will die a few weeks after they start getting paler. When the sea surface temperature rises, corals start releasing this algae, triggering the bleaching. The reasons for the bleaching last year was believed to have been the unusually high Sea Surface Temperature (SST) prevalent around the eastern parts of Sri Lanka, and the Sunday Times warned then that Pigeon Island corals too showed signs of entering into the first stage of such a bleaching, as warned by marine naturalist Prasanna Weerakkodi. Researcher- National Aquatic & Research Agency (NARA), Arjan Rajasuriya, who studied corals, pointed out that the temperature at the Bay of Bengal, at that period of the year, had arisen to 34 degrees Celsius, although normal SST varies between 28 - 30 degrees Celsius. But last year, severe bleaching was recorded mainly in the Trincomalee area and the corals in the other parts of Sri Lanka suffered minor bleaching. Last year when Arjan dived Pigeon Island at end of May, he found extensive bleaching of the reef where more than 90% of the Corals were bleached. This bleaching was also observed in Dutch Bay according to the NARA Coral Expert. But surprisingly the bleaching restricted only to the Trinco area. Corals in Batticaloa suffered only minor bleaching as per Mr.Rajasuriya. He said that, this kind of sporadic bleaching was also reported in countries such as Maldives, Kenya, Mauritius too. Coral bleaching has already become a serious problem in Sri Lanka and worldwide, pushing many of the coral species to the brink of extinction. It is believed that Global Warming makes it worse. The Indian Ocean experienced its worst coral bleaching in 1998, due to a warm oceanic current. The SST of some areas of the Indian Ocean had gone up due to the La Nina climatic phenomenon at that time, resulting in warm oceanic currents killing pristine coral reefs in many parts of Sri Lanka, including the Hikkaduwa coral reef that is still to recover.  Director General, Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Dr. Chandrawansa Pathiraja said he too had received information about damage to corals and the department was monitoring the situation. He said the department would obtain assistance from the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA). Ticketing causes inconvenience claim tour operators The DWC started issuing entrance tickets at two of Sri Lanka’s Marine National Parks, Pigeon Island and Hikkaduwa. Local adults were charged Rs 40 per head, while a child was charged Rs 20, with a service charge of Rs 300 for a boat. Foreigners are charged US$ 10 per head, while US$ 8 per head was charged for a group. Boat fee is Rs 125 per visit. Though they do not complain about the fee, tour operators and hotel owners say the ticketing process inconveniences tourists. All visitors have to come to the ticketing office located at Nilaweli for their tickets. However, unlike a terrestrial national park, where there is only one or two entry points, Pigeon Island can be approached from different locations. There are tourist hotels dotted around Nilaweli. For example, those who leave Nilaweli from nearby Uppuweli beach, will take an additional 20 min to land at Nilaweli for their tickets. Tourists (even ladies and children) need to help the boatman pull the boat ashore. When pulling the boat ashore, it could land on a passenger’s foot, if the tourist is on the wrong side of the boat, causing serious injury. Then the boatman has to go to the ticket counter, leaving the boat unattended, to fill a form and pay the money, where, more often than not, there is a queue, they complain. Dive instructor Felician Fernando suggests that the DWC allows tour operators to buy tickets in advance, so that they could go directly to the island. He points out that it is the practice at the Cultural Triangle, where travel agents buy such round-trip tickets, and give same to the tour guide, to avoid delays. Owner of Nilaweli Beach Hotel, who is also a diver, Travice Ondaatjie too says it is a logistical nightmare for everyone to come to the beach to buy their tickets, and requests that hotels be permitted to sell them. Felician also points out the need for buoys to be positioned above coral reefs, when their clients dive. At the moment, boats have to drop anchor, sometimes causing coral damage when they fall on it. Dr. Pathiraja commenting on the issue said an online ticketing system would be implemented within the next few months. Marine scientists offer help – why not take it..? The DWC is not alone, if it is really keen to protect these corals. The Sri Lanka Sub Aqua Club (SLSAC), which represents Sri Lanka’s diving community, is also willing to offer its assistance. Secretary- SLSAC, Naren Gunasekera said they are willing to offer their support to the DWC to monitor the reefs. He stresses that scuba diving and snorkeling are important parts of the tourism portfolio that Sri Lanka has to offer. But most of these underwater sites are extremely delicate and need continuous monitoring and science driven management. It will also ensure that they remain in a state that can provide tourists a good experience (for example, to ensure that the bleached Pigeon Island reef is restored to ‘health’ within the next decade). Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of commitment from the DWC to engage these divers and other interested parties willing to give of their time to help educate the DWC on marine matters. Nishan Perera recalls, as part of a project in 2007, a complete ‘Marine Protect & Manage Area’ toolkit was compiled and handed over to the DWC. Alas, it has gone unheard. However, these marine scientists are still willing to offer their assistance to conduct free surveys and other services to manage underwater Ecosystems. Marine scientists also complain that the DWC is a barrier to scientific research in these areas on many instances. However, Dr.Pathiraja said the department was willing to to work with the scientists and diver community. Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110724/News/nws_78.html |
Near extinct fish faces death by dynamite
Dynamited to death in the Mahaweli Ganga at Waratenna, Getambe, has been the fate of an ‘endangered’ endemic freshwater fish which has not been sighted for at least five years and was believed to be extinct in Sri Lanka.
While for three weeks blasts have been rocking the peaceful environs of Waratenna close to the Seemamalakaya on the Peradeniya-Katugastota Road, the sudden activity in connection with the groundwork for a mini-hydro power project has left the gadeya or Green Labeo (Labeo fisheri) dead, the Sunday Times learns.
The belief was that the gadeya was extinct worldwide, says researcher Pradeep Samarawickrama, explaining that about four months ago it was re-discovered by him at Waratenna. Earlier this fish was found in the Mahaweli system, at Polgolla and near Victoria, but with the construction of the dams under the accelerated Mahaweli Scheme, their habitats were submerged and changed.
Then it was assumed that the fish may be extinct but with Mr. Samarawickrama picking up the dead and decomposed fish it now indicates that the gadeya had made the Waratenna area its home.
“These sites should be preserved,” he stressed, without indiscriminate dynamiting of the rocks embedded in the riverbed.
Another serious concern that this researcher raised was the impact of such blasting in an area which is heavily landslide-prone, with the government on one hand requesting people to be cautious.
Adding his voice to the concerns expressed by Mr. Samarawickrama including the need to preserve the ‘last habitats’ of this nearly-extinct fish, environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardena quoting Section 27 of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act said that any act or negligence that causes the death of any fish by the use of explosives is an offence.
He questioned the integrity and inaction of the Mahaweli Authority, which being the project-approving body, has the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of the project that it had approved in the first instance.
Referring to the gadeya, Mr. Gunawardena said it was earlier found in areas such as Lewella, Tennekumbura and the lower regions of the Hulu Ganga but in the early 1980s it was predicted that 75% of the known habitats of this fish would go under water due to the construction of the Victoria reservoir.
“But now we realize the gadeya has been able to re-establish itself upstream,” he said.
He lamented that due to short-sighted policies, these areas too would be destroyed. “L. fisheri has been assessed as ‘endangered’ due to its restricted range (extent of occurrence less than 5,000 km2), continuing decline in habitat quality and the fact that the species is considered to be found in less than five locations,” according to the 2011 Global Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
This species is found only in the mid to upper reaches of the Mahaweli Ganga basin, it states, explaining that L. fisheri may already be extinct, as a result of habitat loss following the Mahaweli Ganga development project.
Referring to habitat and ecology, the Red List states: “L fisheri is a benthopelagic species that only inhabits deep, fast-flowing sections of the river. It has not been recorded from unshaded, silty or turbid waters. It moves fast through the water, staying close to the bottom.”
It was way back in 1980 that Ranil Senanayake predicted that the Polgolla and Victoria projects of the Mahaweli Scheme would destroy the gadeya’s habitat while in 1990, Dr. Eric Wikramanayake said that this fish may already be extinct.
Sadly the fish is dead, due to companies which think only of short term gain and government authorities which do not do their jobs, said a conservationist while many others joined their voices to his, in pointing an accusing finger at the Mahaweli Authority for not acting quickly, even now, to stop the destruction of the gadeyas’ habitat and re-evaluate the project.
Earlier, the known maximum length of this fish as reported by Dr. Paul Deraniyagala in his ‘Vertebrates of Ceylon’ Volume I published in the 1950s; the ‘Freshwater Fishes of Sri Lanka’ published by Rohan Pethiyagoda in 1991; and all other references was 30 cm.
However, a dead fish picked up by Mr. Samarawickrama is nearly twice that length.
I am waiting the report, he said. However, the Sunday Times learns from residents in the area that work has not been halted and the blasting was going on even yesterday, with the whine of backhoes dumping the blasted rock onto one side continuing throughout the day, aggravating the already disturbed habitat.
Meanwhile, Central Environmental Authority Chairman Charitha Herath said that the CEA has not given its concurrence for the latest work at that spot.
The CEA has asked all stakeholders including the company involved to come for an urgent meeting on Tuesday, he said, detailing the background to the Sunday Times.
In 2007, a proposal was put forward to set up a mini-hydro power plant there and environmental approval sought. The Mahaweli Authority as the project-approving agency set the terms of reference for an environmental impact assessment (EIA). The EIA was reviewed by the Mahaweli Authority and the CEA asked for concurrence and as there were no public comments it was given, says Mr. Herath.
The concurrence was for a three-year period from February 2007 to February 2010, during which time they were supposed to build the plant. However, the project was not started and the approval expired on February 2010. Recently, CEA concurrence was requested once again, but we have not given it. That’s why we called a meeting on July 26 to discuss it. However, we have received complaints that the project has been started.
Environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardena, however, cites Section 24 B of the National Environment Act, according to which the CEA can issue a directive ordering the suspension of all activities of a project that is implemented without its permission. If this directive is not heeded the CEA can go to the Magistrate’s Court and get it implemented as a court order, he adds.
Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110724/News/nws_69.html
While for three weeks blasts have been rocking the peaceful environs of Waratenna close to the Seemamalakaya on the Peradeniya-Katugastota Road, the sudden activity in connection with the groundwork for a mini-hydro power project has left the gadeya or Green Labeo (Labeo fisheri) dead, the Sunday Times learns.
The belief was that the gadeya was extinct worldwide, says researcher Pradeep Samarawickrama, explaining that about four months ago it was re-discovered by him at Waratenna. Earlier this fish was found in the Mahaweli system, at Polgolla and near Victoria, but with the construction of the dams under the accelerated Mahaweli Scheme, their habitats were submerged and changed.
| The Waratenna area in which the fish was found. Pix by Pradeep Samarawickrama |
“These sites should be preserved,” he stressed, without indiscriminate dynamiting of the rocks embedded in the riverbed.
Another serious concern that this researcher raised was the impact of such blasting in an area which is heavily landslide-prone, with the government on one hand requesting people to be cautious.
Adding his voice to the concerns expressed by Mr. Samarawickrama including the need to preserve the ‘last habitats’ of this nearly-extinct fish, environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardena quoting Section 27 of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act said that any act or negligence that causes the death of any fish by the use of explosives is an offence.
He questioned the integrity and inaction of the Mahaweli Authority, which being the project-approving body, has the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of the project that it had approved in the first instance.
Referring to the gadeya, Mr. Gunawardena said it was earlier found in areas such as Lewella, Tennekumbura and the lower regions of the Hulu Ganga but in the early 1980s it was predicted that 75% of the known habitats of this fish would go under water due to the construction of the Victoria reservoir.
“But now we realize the gadeya has been able to re-establish itself upstream,” he said.
He lamented that due to short-sighted policies, these areas too would be destroyed. “L. fisheri has been assessed as ‘endangered’ due to its restricted range (extent of occurrence less than 5,000 km2), continuing decline in habitat quality and the fact that the species is considered to be found in less than five locations,” according to the 2011 Global Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
This species is found only in the mid to upper reaches of the Mahaweli Ganga basin, it states, explaining that L. fisheri may already be extinct, as a result of habitat loss following the Mahaweli Ganga development project.
Referring to habitat and ecology, the Red List states: “L fisheri is a benthopelagic species that only inhabits deep, fast-flowing sections of the river. It has not been recorded from unshaded, silty or turbid waters. It moves fast through the water, staying close to the bottom.”
It was way back in 1980 that Ranil Senanayake predicted that the Polgolla and Victoria projects of the Mahaweli Scheme would destroy the gadeya’s habitat while in 1990, Dr. Eric Wikramanayake said that this fish may already be extinct.
Bigger than originally believed
It was believed to grow only to 30 cm. but researcher Pradeep Samarawickrama has found a gadeya which is nearly twice that size, close to 60 cm. in length. |
Earlier, the known maximum length of this fish as reported by Dr. Paul Deraniyagala in his ‘Vertebrates of Ceylon’ Volume I published in the 1950s; the ‘Freshwater Fishes of Sri Lanka’ published by Rohan Pethiyagoda in 1991; and all other references was 30 cm.
However, a dead fish picked up by Mr. Samarawickrama is nearly twice that length.
Blasting going on despite warning
The company involved in the project has been warned to halt the blasting with immediate effect, said Mahaweli Authority Director-General D.M.C. Dissanayake who has sent a three-member inquiry team to the spot.I am waiting the report, he said. However, the Sunday Times learns from residents in the area that work has not been halted and the blasting was going on even yesterday, with the whine of backhoes dumping the blasted rock onto one side continuing throughout the day, aggravating the already disturbed habitat.
Meanwhile, Central Environmental Authority Chairman Charitha Herath said that the CEA has not given its concurrence for the latest work at that spot.
The CEA has asked all stakeholders including the company involved to come for an urgent meeting on Tuesday, he said, detailing the background to the Sunday Times.
In 2007, a proposal was put forward to set up a mini-hydro power plant there and environmental approval sought. The Mahaweli Authority as the project-approving agency set the terms of reference for an environmental impact assessment (EIA). The EIA was reviewed by the Mahaweli Authority and the CEA asked for concurrence and as there were no public comments it was given, says Mr. Herath.
The concurrence was for a three-year period from February 2007 to February 2010, during which time they were supposed to build the plant. However, the project was not started and the approval expired on February 2010. Recently, CEA concurrence was requested once again, but we have not given it. That’s why we called a meeting on July 26 to discuss it. However, we have received complaints that the project has been started.
Environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardena, however, cites Section 24 B of the National Environment Act, according to which the CEA can issue a directive ordering the suspension of all activities of a project that is implemented without its permission. If this directive is not heeded the CEA can go to the Magistrate’s Court and get it implemented as a court order, he adds.
Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110724/News/nws_69.html
Friday, July 22, 2011
Leave the animals their territory
| The recent fatal leopard attack on a pilgrim of the annual Pada Yatra, raises questions about the ‘goings on’ inside the Yala National Park. | ||||
| Kumudini Hettiarachchi reports | ||||
| The anguished shriek of "Appah" rent the early morning stillness, sending the bleary-eyed Pada Yatra devotees running to the bank of the Menik Ganga in the Yala National Park. It was dawn on Sunday, July 10, and the scene that met the devotees who rushed to the scrub jungle on the river-bank sent chilling fear up their spine. Right before their eyes, a leopard with its jaws clamped over the bloodied neck of 31-year-old Krishnapulle Chandrakumari was dragging her into the jungle. It was only a frenzy of shouting that made the leopard ease its vice-like grip, the Sunday Times understands, but even while they were carrying her to the place where they had laid down their weary heads the previous night on the dried up riverbed the predator had been slinking about in the vicinity, growling in anger, having to be warded off with firebrands.
She and the members of the 'nade' had come the previous night (July 9) to the Menik Ganga, lit a fire, had a scrap dinner and slept on the sandy river-bed. The Menik Ganga has dried up and there is only a sliver of a stream flowing sadly. In the early morn having boilt and eaten a meagre meal of bada iringu, Chandrakumari had gone about 25 metres from the river-bed to the river bank on the side of Block 1 for her morning ablutions when she met with an agonizing death far away from home, many sources said, quoting witnesses. Behind this unfortunate leopard attack lies a horde of issues, stressed conservationists, howling in protest at the "goings on" inside the Yala National Park. Reconstructing the tragic scene in detail, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Nature Forum underlines the fact that the attack took place about 500 metres from Negeniyangastota, one of four camping sites allowed by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) in Block 1. There seems to be a connection with the campsite as there are serious concerns that a particular group that camps here, enticing foreigners and their big bucks with assurances of "sure sightings of leopards" lure the big cats here by feeding them beef regularly, said Mr. Sajeewa (See box).
Check out their Facebook promotions, Mr. Sanjeewa said, adding that it shows clearly a photograph of a leopard near the campsite, with a large bonfire burning merrily. Usually leopards would move away from such areas, but what is the attraction, he argued, answering, isn't it obvious it is food. Feeding of wild animals to get them for viewing at close quarters was one of the dangers that conservationists pointed out when expressing grave concern over proposed moves to build hotels in the buffer zones of Protected Areas as reported in the Sunday Times of July 3. However, a spokesman for the campsite operator vehemently denied the allegations which he claimed were baseless and asked whether anyone had seen them feeding the leopards. He pointed out that DWC officials were with them and would prohibit them from such actions. This is not the only allegation against this particular campsite operator, according to Mr. Sajeewa. When the waters of the Menik Ganga inundate the campsite during the rainy season, the operator allegedly clears the forest and moves the site further inland, he said, pointing out that this was against all the laws governing the Yala National Park which is a Protected Area. After Sunday's attack, there had also been alleged military comments that the leopard will be shot, said Mr. Sajeewa, questioning how anyone could shoot any animal in a National Park let alone one of a handful of the top predators, a leopard. The National Park is the designated home of these animals and how can humans who intrude on their territory come up with such threats which are a clear breach of the law. The other question is: How will anyone distinguish the problem leopard from the others, or will they take the liberty of killing all leopards on sight. Another conservationist pointed out that though the Pada Yatra has traditionally gone through the Yala National Park, in the last two years the number of devotees has swelled. This year, a crowd of about 28,000 has passed through while last year it was close to 26,000. Some of these groups don't behave like devotees, they sing, they make a huge noise, they set up wadi all along the river and they litter the park with polythene and the remnants of ganja, turning the National Park into one big camping ground. This affects the life of the animals, he said, especially their home range, corridors and access to water. This is the dry season and when humans are roaming along the river, they cannot get to water. ouldn't aggression come about naturally? The other major concern was expressed with regard to the army putting up four boutiques along the Pada Yatra route - Warahana, Kosgasmankada, Katupila- ara and Pallepoththana -- within the Yala National Park in clear violation of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. A conservationist pointed out that not only were they supplying kadala along the route but they were also selling fizzy drinks, packets of biscuits and water bottles. Not just a few hundred but thousands of bottles, he alleged, asking where these devotees dumped used bottles and polythene packets, except in the park itself. The tragic attack on Chandra-kumari should be a forewarning. Limit Pada Yatra crowds through the National Park, with DWC officials around them to advise and provide guidance, according to conservationists. Or why not have the Pada Yatra re-routed along existing roads around the Park, asked another. The warning is timely. Leave the animals their territory, for each and every one of these animals, from the smallest worm to the largest elephant, is needed in the eco-system, for the very survival of humans. Many attempts to contact the Director General of the DWC failed as he was said to be abroad. Attack an anomaly: Leopard Researcher Last Sunday's attack at Yala is "very strange" for Sri Lankan leopards, points out conservationist and leopard researcher Rukshan Jayewardene. "It is an anomaly."Explaining the "normal behaviour" of Sri Lankan leopards, he says whenever human beings move in and out of forests for various reasons such as collecting firewood they never get menaced or attacked by these big cats. Leopards will cautiously and warily watch from a distance or evade and slink into deeper forest. This is because the leopards have plentiful prey, "their kind of food", such as deer, buffalo and wild boar and they don't see humans as what they eat naturally, he stresses. In the case of cubs who have seen humans from the time they were born, even when they grow up they would ignore humans. That's how you have "close encounters" with them at Yala and see them crossing between vehicles. Humans are not the food of Sri Lankan leopards, he explains, adding that in India, leopard behaviour is different because their usual food sources are not abundant. Sometimes in marginal areas in Sri Lanka, if their food sources are scarce they would attack dogs and goats and in the process get snared, poisoned or shot. Delving into the leopards' psyche why they keep a good distance from humans, Mr. Jayewardene says their perception is that we are bigger than what we really are because they are not at our eye level. If they can look into our eyes, they feel we are a smaller animal that they can attack and subdue. That's why most leopard attacks are on people squatting or kneeling, which gives the creature the impression that we are like a medium-sized animal. They make a correct assessment of our size only when they see us at that level, otherwise their perception of us is that we are larger and heavier creatures than what we actually are. So they leave us alone. Of course, according to Mr. Jayewardene, the exception to the rule of the natural inhibition leopards have against attacking humans is the seasoned man-eater. Something has happened to make the man-eater cross that inhibitive barrier between animal and human. It could be that it accidentally attacked a human and at th same time being hungry got the taste of flesh and blood, tempting it to turn to this easy food source. With such a first attack the leopard also realizes that humans are easy to kill and not very heavy to drag. Taking the attack on Chandrakumari, he says, "it's ominous", with the danger of the same leopard attacking again. There are all indications that it was not an accidental attack, on being suddenly surprised in the undergrowth, because then it would have pounced, killed and left her. The aggression, focused attention and predation factor, as opposed to an accidental killing, could be established by reports that it attempted to drag her into the jungle and even when thwarted and her body was carried to the river-bed with lots of people moving around, it lingered menacingly. The question which arises is whether he has preyed on humans before, maybe a poacher or gem miner, the killing of which would have gone unreported because they would have been in the National Park illegally. When asked about reports that a leopard had been seen close to an army-run shop at Yala, he warns that the danger seems imminent and the DWC needs to shut down the campsites in the vicinity of the attack temporarily to avoid another attack and take urgent action to check out the cause. "One quick way to make a harmless leopard or any wild animal a problem is to make it associate humans with food," warns Mr. Jayewardene categorically, when the Sunday Times queried about the allegations made that one particular group running a campsite at Yala (incidentally close to where Sunday's attack took place) was feeding leopards with beef to get them to be around the area, so that they could boast of "assured sightings" to foreigners and make a quick buck, without thinking of the consequences. When the leopards are denied such throw-downs of food, they may very well resort to aggression, he said. Source:Sundaytimes |
Speeding vehicles on roads driving wildlife to their early graves
By Malaka Rodrigo
A fully grown sloth bear was killed by a speeding vehicle near the 11th kilometre post on the Panama-Pottuvil road late last month raising concerns over the prudence of having public roads across biodiversity rich National Parks, while vehicles speeding along roads in rural areas also drive wildlife to their graves before their time.
The ill-fated bear was found lying on the side of the road with apparent head injuries. The Ampara office of the Wildlife Department had been promptly alerted, but the animal was already dead due to injuries it suffered. The wildlife veterinary surgeon Dr. Pramuditha Devasurendra who had conducted the post-mortem confirmed the animal died due to damage to its skull. There were signs of profound bleeding from its mouth. The bear's fur coat also had mud stains indicating it could have been hit by a heavy vehicle with large tyres.
Dr. Devasurendra also said there were signs that the vehicle has gone over one of the animal's legs. The bear was a well grown male around eight to nine years old. The body of the bear was sent to the Giritale wildlife facility to be stuffed.
Samitha Harichandra, the managing trustee of the Wildlife Research and Conservation Trust of Sri Lanka who visited the accident site soon after he was alerted, recalled spotting a bear on the same stretch of road recently while he was driving at night. He said he had seen the bear on two occasions and the ambulance driver of the area hospital too has confirmed sighting this bear indicating the animal must be roaming around the area (a territorial bear) near the 11th kilometre post.
This is the season when the palu and weera berry ripens attracting usually secretive sloth bears out of their hideouts in search of the berries. Mr. Harichandra recalls that there are many weera and palu trees in the scrub jungle on this stretch of the Pottuvil road, luring the secretive bear into the open, making it an unfortunate road victim.
The sloth bear in Sri Lanka is a separate subspecies scientifically categorized as Melursus ursinus inornatus. Their numbers are declining, with them being already categorized as vulnerable to extinction in the IUCN Redlist scale.
Mr. Harichandra says the annual Okanda pilgrim season increases vehicular traffic along this road which becomes a death trap to wild animals of the area. The presence of such a rare animal like the sloth bear is an indication of the quality of the scrub jungle which must be home to many animals.
Harichandra complained that drivers should be more vigilant when speeding on rural roads to avoid killing animals.
He said that as the road network gets better in these areas, drivers tend to speed on long stretches of roads that do not have much traffic. But animals need to move around their natural habitats and require to cross these roads. They virtually have no time to escape from a speeding vehicle, he said.
Slow moving small creatures like tortoises, snakes, and porcupines face the greatest risk when crossing the roads. But even fast movers like civets can fall easy prey at night when they freeze in the middle of the road blinded by the glare of headlights. Some animals like the porcupine have the habit of staying motionless when they feel a threat, making them sitting ducks. Even birds and monkeys can't escape at times from speeding vehicles.
But it is not only the smaller animals that are being hit by careless drivers. On many occasions elephants have also been hit on public roads. In one such incident at Galgamuwa/Ambanpola, a sleepy bus driver hit an elephant at night on the road near the Thekkakele forest. The front of the bus was badly damaged and the conductor was killed in the accident. A few months later, another elephant was hit by a van and the enraged elephant turned on the humans killing a passenger in the van.
Though these elephants recovered with injuries, there were incidents where jumbos get killed in road accidents. At Medawachchiya, a baby elephant of about four months had been killed instantly when it was hit by a tipper. The accident occurred around 1 a.m. and the body of the calf was badly smashed, indicating the vehicle was traveling at speed. Another calf was the victim of a roadside accident at Habarana last year.
It is however hard to provide a solution to such unfortunate accidents as drivers tend to speed in their vehicles on open stretches.
One way to minimize such accidents is by setting up speed limits and placing warning boards in areas where wildlife is abundant. But while wildlife conscious drivers will take note, it is a question whether reckless drivers will abide by the rules.
At present most of the drivers even do not honour the speed limits set up in populated areas which are also frequently monitored by the Traffic Police. It is virtually impossible to set up traffic checkpoints at night so there is little hope that rules would be observed on remote road stretches. Wildlife lovers call all drivers to be vigilant when driving through remote roads.
Roads across National Parks
With animals being killed by speeding vehicles, wildlife activists question the prudence of opening up of new public roads across Protected Areas. A road across the Wilpattu Sanctuary has been opened last year amidst the objections of the wildlife community and there seems to be attempts to open up other roads. Though speed limits are set and traffic allowed during the daytime in wildlife rich habitats, such roads will still be death traps.
There are other dangers for wildlife as a road will increase human presence which will also increase illegal activities. Poachers will get a ready-made market to sell bush meat. More importantly, a public road will also cause a genetic isolation of animal groups between two sides by restricting animal movements. In a free environment, wild animals would mix with each other but a road will halve their movements isolating them genetically or depriving them of their traditional feeding grounds. This will also degrade the quality of their gene pool.
The danger of public roads across national parks was in the international spotlight last month as an attempt to construct a commercial road across some parts of Serengeti National Park in Tanzania has been abandoned.
Each year about two million herbivores including wildebeests and zebras make their way from the Serengeti National Park to the Maasai Mara reserve in Kenya.
Environmental activists raised concerns that the new road will restrict the animals' movements and halve the animals in the park. Tagged as one of the planet's greatest natural spectacles attracting thousands of major tourists, the road could have also affected the local economy, in which tourism plays a major role.
The Tanzanian government consequently abandoned the idea of constructing a stretch of 53 kilometres of road to avoid areas of high conservation value.
Likewise, Sri Lankan conservationists also raise the question whether we still need to have roads to make for quicker traveling. If quicker traveling is the need, speed limits cannot be set, ultimately resulting in many road accidents.
Speeding in wildlife parks
Yala National Park has already been infested by the over-visitation bug where around 200 vehicles go in on busy days. The visitors' prime aim is to have a glimpse of Yala's star attractions - leopard, bear or elephant. On receiving a message of a sighting, the vehicles rush to the spot to get a better view.
The safari jeep drivers' often forget they are in a wildlife national park. There is every chance these speeding vehicles too can hit an animal. So if you happen to be in a safari jeep, never allow it to be driven at an uncontrollable speed even though it might cost you a better sighting of a wild animal.
Source:Sundaytimes
A fully grown sloth bear was killed by a speeding vehicle near the 11th kilometre post on the Panama-Pottuvil road late last month raising concerns over the prudence of having public roads across biodiversity rich National Parks, while vehicles speeding along roads in rural areas also drive wildlife to their graves before their time.
The ill-fated bear was found lying on the side of the road with apparent head injuries. The Ampara office of the Wildlife Department had been promptly alerted, but the animal was already dead due to injuries it suffered. The wildlife veterinary surgeon Dr. Pramuditha Devasurendra who had conducted the post-mortem confirmed the animal died due to damage to its skull. There were signs of profound bleeding from its mouth. The bear's fur coat also had mud stains indicating it could have been hit by a heavy vehicle with large tyres.
Dr. Devasurendra also said there were signs that the vehicle has gone over one of the animal's legs. The bear was a well grown male around eight to nine years old. The body of the bear was sent to the Giritale wildlife facility to be stuffed.
Samitha Harichandra, the managing trustee of the Wildlife Research and Conservation Trust of Sri Lanka who visited the accident site soon after he was alerted, recalled spotting a bear on the same stretch of road recently while he was driving at night. He said he had seen the bear on two occasions and the ambulance driver of the area hospital too has confirmed sighting this bear indicating the animal must be roaming around the area (a territorial bear) near the 11th kilometre post.
 |
The sloth bear in Sri Lanka is a separate subspecies scientifically categorized as Melursus ursinus inornatus. Their numbers are declining, with them being already categorized as vulnerable to extinction in the IUCN Redlist scale.
Mr. Harichandra says the annual Okanda pilgrim season increases vehicular traffic along this road which becomes a death trap to wild animals of the area. The presence of such a rare animal like the sloth bear is an indication of the quality of the scrub jungle which must be home to many animals.
Harichandra complained that drivers should be more vigilant when speeding on rural roads to avoid killing animals.
He said that as the road network gets better in these areas, drivers tend to speed on long stretches of roads that do not have much traffic. But animals need to move around their natural habitats and require to cross these roads. They virtually have no time to escape from a speeding vehicle, he said.
Slow moving small creatures like tortoises, snakes, and porcupines face the greatest risk when crossing the roads. But even fast movers like civets can fall easy prey at night when they freeze in the middle of the road blinded by the glare of headlights. Some animals like the porcupine have the habit of staying motionless when they feel a threat, making them sitting ducks. Even birds and monkeys can't escape at times from speeding vehicles.
But it is not only the smaller animals that are being hit by careless drivers. On many occasions elephants have also been hit on public roads. In one such incident at Galgamuwa/Ambanpola, a sleepy bus driver hit an elephant at night on the road near the Thekkakele forest. The front of the bus was badly damaged and the conductor was killed in the accident. A few months later, another elephant was hit by a van and the enraged elephant turned on the humans killing a passenger in the van.
Though these elephants recovered with injuries, there were incidents where jumbos get killed in road accidents. At Medawachchiya, a baby elephant of about four months had been killed instantly when it was hit by a tipper. The accident occurred around 1 a.m. and the body of the calf was badly smashed, indicating the vehicle was traveling at speed. Another calf was the victim of a roadside accident at Habarana last year.
It is however hard to provide a solution to such unfortunate accidents as drivers tend to speed in their vehicles on open stretches.
One way to minimize such accidents is by setting up speed limits and placing warning boards in areas where wildlife is abundant. But while wildlife conscious drivers will take note, it is a question whether reckless drivers will abide by the rules.
At present most of the drivers even do not honour the speed limits set up in populated areas which are also frequently monitored by the Traffic Police. It is virtually impossible to set up traffic checkpoints at night so there is little hope that rules would be observed on remote road stretches. Wildlife lovers call all drivers to be vigilant when driving through remote roads.
Roads across National Parks
With animals being killed by speeding vehicles, wildlife activists question the prudence of opening up of new public roads across Protected Areas. A road across the Wilpattu Sanctuary has been opened last year amidst the objections of the wildlife community and there seems to be attempts to open up other roads. Though speed limits are set and traffic allowed during the daytime in wildlife rich habitats, such roads will still be death traps.
There are other dangers for wildlife as a road will increase human presence which will also increase illegal activities. Poachers will get a ready-made market to sell bush meat. More importantly, a public road will also cause a genetic isolation of animal groups between two sides by restricting animal movements. In a free environment, wild animals would mix with each other but a road will halve their movements isolating them genetically or depriving them of their traditional feeding grounds. This will also degrade the quality of their gene pool.
| A tortoise run over by a speeding vehicle |
The danger of public roads across national parks was in the international spotlight last month as an attempt to construct a commercial road across some parts of Serengeti National Park in Tanzania has been abandoned. Each year about two million herbivores including wildebeests and zebras make their way from the Serengeti National Park to the Maasai Mara reserve in Kenya.
Environmental activists raised concerns that the new road will restrict the animals' movements and halve the animals in the park. Tagged as one of the planet's greatest natural spectacles attracting thousands of major tourists, the road could have also affected the local economy, in which tourism plays a major role.
The Tanzanian government consequently abandoned the idea of constructing a stretch of 53 kilometres of road to avoid areas of high conservation value.
Likewise, Sri Lankan conservationists also raise the question whether we still need to have roads to make for quicker traveling. If quicker traveling is the need, speed limits cannot be set, ultimately resulting in many road accidents.
Speeding in wildlife parks
Yala National Park has already been infested by the over-visitation bug where around 200 vehicles go in on busy days. The visitors' prime aim is to have a glimpse of Yala's star attractions - leopard, bear or elephant. On receiving a message of a sighting, the vehicles rush to the spot to get a better view.
The safari jeep drivers' often forget they are in a wildlife national park. There is every chance these speeding vehicles too can hit an animal. So if you happen to be in a safari jeep, never allow it to be driven at an uncontrollable speed even though it might cost you a better sighting of a wild animal.
Source:Sundaytimes
Steady increase of elephant deaths due to ‘hakka pattas’
The use of hakka pattas, (a homemade explosive device concealed in fruits etc.), has led to a steady increase in elephant deaths, says Elephant expert Jayantha Jayawardene.
He told The Island yesterday that the situation was going from bad to worse.
Meanwhile, Hambantota District Secretary R. M. W. B. Meegasmulla said that crackers used to scare elephants should only be distributed among those communities highly vulnerable to elephant attacks.
Experts have pointed out that many elephants, especially in Hambantota, suffer from disabilities due to the use of crackers.
Source:Island
Sri Lanka, a wildlife 'Hot Spot' - The West Australian
Sri Lanka is a wildlife Hot Spot, boasting more than 400 species of birds and large game such as buffalo, crocodile and elephant, while also reputedly being the best place in the world to spot leopards, The West Australian said. Writer Liam Creedon states after throwing off the shackles of a war, Sri Lanka has woken up to its vast tourist potential.
As a result, Sri Lanka is fast becoming a top wildlife destination and a six-day tour promised to provide a glimpse of the island's impressive diversity, he said.
Sinharaja rain forest reserve is an amphibian hotspot, with new specimens still being discovered, The West Australian added. "Our next destination was the Yala national park the island - the home of Sri Lanka's other great feline icon - the leopard," the writer said.
Courtesy www.priu.gov.lk
As a result, Sri Lanka is fast becoming a top wildlife destination and a six-day tour promised to provide a glimpse of the island's impressive diversity, he said.
Sinharaja rain forest reserve is an amphibian hotspot, with new specimens still being discovered, The West Australian added. "Our next destination was the Yala national park the island - the home of Sri Lanka's other great feline icon - the leopard," the writer said.
Courtesy www.priu.gov.lk
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