Funday Times

National parks of Sri Lanka
Wilpattu National Park
Wilpattu National Park is among the oldest and most important of protected areas in Sri Lanka. Its flora and fauna are representative of the dry lowland zone. It also contains a number of important cultural sites. Extension of the park to include the adjacent waters is identified as a priority.

Location :
The park lies on the northwest coast, 30 km west of Anuradhapura, and spans the border between North Western Province and North Central Province. The park is bounded by Moderagam Aru in the south, in the north the Kala Oya, and in the west Portuguese and Dutch bays and the open sea. The Wilpattu sanctuary lies inland from the coast.

Access:
The only practical access from Colombo would be via Negombo, Chilaw and Puttalam. The turn off is at the little hamlet of Thimbiriwewa at the 28th mile post along the Puttalam Anuradhapura road. The park office, where one obtains permit and a guide is at Hunuwilagama, 8 km from the turn off.

Physical Features :
The main topographical feature in this park is the concentration of “villus’ or ‘lakes’ within it. Though looking like lakes, these “villus” are in flat basin like depressions on the earth surface containing purely rain water.
Two of these ‘villus’ are saline, due to a characteristic in the soil. This “villu” feature is peculiar to this part of the island. The other equally striking feature, though confined to certain sectors of the park, is copper red, loamy soils extremely varied. The western sector of the park with deeply forested areas and thorny bushes is similar to Yala National Park in southern Sri Lanka.
Wilpattu National Park ranges from sea level to 152m. The area of Wilpattu National Park is 131,693 ha.

Climate :
Characterized by inter monsoon rains in March and April, an extensive drought from May until early September and a major rainy season (northeast monsoon) from September until December. The average annual temperature is 27.2°C.

History of Establishment :
The area was declared as a sanctuary in 1905 and upgraded to national park status on 25th February 1938. Wilpattu North Sanctuary was declared on 7th November 1947. The adjacent areas of Dutch and Portuguese bays have been proposed as marine extensions to the park, largely to protect dugong.

Cultural Heritage: -
Much legend and history is associated with the park and its immediate surroundings. Vijaya landed at Kudrimalai in 543 BC. Vijaya married Kuveni, the jungle princess, whose palace lies in ruins at Kali villu. North-east of Maradanmaduwa are Wirandagoda and Galbendi Niyara where Prince Saliya, son of King Dutugemunu, is reputed to have lived with his forest bride of low caste, Asoka Mala, some 2000 years ago.

Kudrimalai, or Horse Point, was visited by a subject of Emperor Cladius in 47 AD, who was blown off course by monsoon. The local king later sent his own envoys to Rome during the time of Pliny. The palace of Queen Alirani, or Aliserrani is reputed to lie buried at Kudrimalai. Pomparippu is an archaeological site where sealed urns containing human remains have been found.

These burials were probably in pre- Vijayan times. There are engraved stone boundary posts from ancient times at Konwetiya and elsewhere. Between Palagaturai and Kollankanatte are the remains of an old harbour. The ruins of an ancient Hindu temple sits on the top of Kudrimalai Point. Nearby, on the beach lies the grave of a Muslim saint. The old Catholic church at Pallakandal is visited by several thousand pilgrims for the annual festival.

In the eastern part there are remnants of breached tanks left over from the agricultural systems of ancient Sinhalese civilizations.

Vegetation :
Three types of vegetation can be distinguished: Littoral vegetation including salt grass and low scrub immediately adjacent to the beach; a 5-10 km coastal belt of monsoon scrub of very low stature; and further inland, monsoon forest with tall trees such as palu and satin, milia, weera, ebony and wewarana. Some 73% of the park is dense forest or scrub and the rest is more open habitat.

Fauna:
A total of 31 species of mammals have been recorded but additional species of Rodentia and Chiroptera are undoubtedly present. Threatened mammals are elephant, sloth bear, leopard, and water buffalo. Of the herbivore, spotted deer is the most numerically abundant species. Dugong occurred in Dutch and Portugal bays adjacent to the park.

The “villus” support a variety of resident and migratory waterfowl, including large breeding populations of painted stork and open billed stork.
Other wetland species include garganey, pintail, whistling teal , spoonbill, white ibis, large white egret, cattle egret and purple heron. Indian darter is abundant in the vicinity of those “villus” which support a fish fauna.

Common in the vicinity of “villus’; are white-shafted little tern, gull billed tern, whiskered tern, great stone-curlew, black winged stilt and red wattled lap- wing. Among the more noticeable forest or scrub birds are greater racquet-tailed drongo, Asian paradise flycatcher, crimson breasted barbet, brown headed barbet, Malabar pied hornbill, little green bee eater, kingfisher, nightjar, and fish owl.

Galliformes are well represented by peafowl and Sri Lanka jungle fowl. Common raptors include crested serpent eagle, white-bellied sea eagle and crested hawk eagle.

Among the most conspicuous reptiles are common monitor, mugger crocodile, common cobra , rat snake and Indian python. Pond turtle and soft-shelled turtle are resident in most of the larger permanent “villus”. Star tortoise is common in grasslands. Termites probably account for the most significant proportion of the invertebrate biomass. Termite activity is highest in the scrub-forest, and minimal in the grassland.

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