The Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a wading bird and a rare migrant to the lowland, marsh lands, paddy fields, tanks and lagoons of Sri Lanka. It’s preferred choice of cuisine includes worms, aquatic insects, frogs and such other small animals. The breeding season being from March to July and it builds a rather small nest with sticks on trees near water usually as colanies.
The two primary tribes of mammal carnivores in the world are cats and dogs. Both species are well adapted for meat eating life in the wild. Tourists on Big Game Safari’s in Udawalawe, Sri Lanka are usually very keen to catch a glimpse of Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) which is the largest member of the local cat family, also known as felids. However, the only representative of the Canidae family, apart from domestic dogs in Sri Lanka, is the Golden Jackal (Canis aureus). Read more
April is always beautiful and cheerful, because it’s like spring in Europe. Many trees out in the jungle are laden down with fragrant and beautiful flowers. We were playing host to new clients from the United State of America. This was their first experience of camping and going on safari, which they had decided to do on their honeymoon. Mahoora Camp Manager Mr. Ossi de Silva gave them a very warm welcome and then they were escorted to the Mahoora Elite tent. Read more
Soon after I was appointed to work at Yala National Park I took two guests on a Safari. It was the 09th of December and around 8.00am I noticed a carcass near the road and stopped to get a closer look. I identified it as a dead Pangolin.
Odonata is one of the most conspicuous insect groups which allure attention with their beautiful colours and inconceivable flight skill. When observed closer, their life history is more enticing. Read more
“There is no place on earth like the jungles, the wilderness and the exhilaration one feels when venturing into the underbrush. Yala National Park, one of the natural habitats in Sri Lanka, is home to the greatest diversity of living things – many species of animals, reptiles, birds and uniquely beautiful insects.” Read more
The Sri Lanka department of Wildlife Conservation recently published a list of the seven most iconic wild animals in the island as a way of promoting tourism and the conservation of all species in and outside this list.
Sri Lanka is somewhat of an outlier when it comes to biodiversity. Experts have been studying the biodiversity of this small island since the early 20th century, and all with good reason. The number of animal species in the island is said to be five times as much as it is supposed to be in an island of its size, and the number of endemic species in the country is amazing. From endemic birds to endemic primates, Sri Lanka has them all. The wonder of Sri Lanka – being such a small island – is that you don’t have to travel far to see any of them. Read more
Carcass of an unidentified mammal species has been recovered from Panapola- Kosgulana area near Sinharaja Forest Reserve. As per the information provided by a school principal of the area on the 28th February 2016 evening, wildlife officers attached to the Sinharaja Range have taken over the carcass of this mammal & brought it to the Elephant Transit Home at Uda Walawe for further investigations. Presently the carcass is kept at ETH under deep freezing conditions.
According to the veterinarian of the ETH the animal is 3.3 kg in weight and its length is 60cm. Read more
Sri Lanka Wildlife Updates 