overview

Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island is home to many cultures, languages and ethnicities. The majority of the population are from the Sinhalese ethnicity, while a large minority of Tamils have also played an influential role in the island's history Sri Lanka is one of 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world Although the country is relatively small in size, it has the highest biodiversity density in Asia. Sri Lanka has declared 24 wildlife reserves, which are home to a wide range of native species such as Asian elephants, leopards, sloth bears, the unique slender loris, a variety of deer, langurs, the wild boar, porcupines and Indian pangolins. Sri Lanka is home to over 250 species of resident birds It has declared several bird sanctuaries in the last few years and one of the hotspots for wildlife.

Yala National Park
Yala combines a nature reserve with a national park. Divided into 5 blocks, the park has a protected area of nearly 130,000 hectares of land consisting of light forests, scrubs, grasslands, tanks and lagoons. Two blocks are currently opened to the public. Situated in Sri Lanka’s southeast hugging the panoramic Indian Ocean, Yala was designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1900 and was designated a national park in 1938. Ironically, the park was initially used as a hunting ground for the elite under British rule. Yala is home to 44 varieties of mammal and 215 bird species. Among its more famous residents are the world’s biggest concentration of leopards, majestic elephants, sloth bears, sambars, jackals, spotted dear, peacocks, and crocodile.

Birding – Key birds that can be seen
Gray Francolin, Barred Buttonquail, Indian Peafowl, Woolly- necked Stork, Lesser Adjutant, Spot- billed Pelican, Darter, Common Kestral, White- bellied Sea Eagle, Grey- headed Fish Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Booted Eagle, Changeble Hawk Eagle, Eurasian Thick-knee, Great Thickknee, Pheasant-tailed Jacana,Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Pin-tailed Snipe, Greater Paintedsnipe, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Lesser sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Red shank, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Ruddy Turnstone, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Gray-bellied Cuckoo. Blue-faced Malkoha, Jerdon’s Nightjar, Inddian Nightjar, Oriental Scops Owl, Brown Fish Owl, Orangebreasted Green Pigeon, Crested Treeswift, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Coppersmith Barbet, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, SL Woodshrike, White-browed Fantail, Gull- billed Tern, Caspian Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Greater Crested Tern, Little Tern, Whiskered Tern Black Drongo, Jerdon’s Bushlark, Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark, Grey-breasted Prinia, Jungle Prinia, Ashy Prinia, Tawny-bellied Babbler, Yellow-eyed Babbler, White-rumped Shama, Rosy Starling, Brahminy Starling, Baya Weaver, Indian Silverbill.

Mammals – Key mammals that can be seen
Leopard, Jungle Cat, Rusty-spotted Cat, Golden Jackal, Sloth Bear, Small Indian Civet, Common Palm Civet, Golden Palm Civet, Indian Grey Mongoose, Ruddy Mongoose, Sambar Deer, Spotted Deer, Hog Deer, White-spotted Chevrotain, Indian Water Buffalo, Wild Boar, Asian Elephant, Grey Langur, Toque Macaque, Indian Hare, Indian Gerbil, Indian Bush Rat, Soft-furred Metad, Greater Asiatic Yellow House Bat.