Photo courtesy of Sameera Weerathunga Today is World Wildlife Day On World Wildlife Day, it is important to remember both the triumphs and the tragedies of conservation in Sri Lanka. One of these is the Uda Walawe National Park, which was established on June 30, 1972 after consistent lobbying by members of the Wildlife & Nature Protection Society (WNPS), led ...
Photo by Ama Koralage In 1971, a group of activists set sail from Canada in an old fishing boat to protest against the underground nuclear testing by the US military at Amchitka, an island off Alaska. Although they were eventually stopped, the activists went on to form an organisation called Greenpeace to promote individual, non-violent action to create change. Throughout ...
Sri Lanka’s forest cover has largely disappeared in a very short time. In episode 7 of Strong Foundations, Sade Greenwood unravels the biggest threats to our forest habitats and a vital effort to conserve and repopulate them.
Photos courtesy Prof. Sampath Seneviratne Mannar is one of the oldest cities in Sri Lanka dating back to the maritime Silk Road and the trade routes between India and Sri Lanka. It also has some of the most important wintering wetlands for migratory birds. Sri Lanka is a signatory nation for the United Nations Convention of Migratory Species. Hence, we ...
Pippi the catYou can read me directly at www.indi.ca.We have a cat, or should I say, the cat has us. During the rainy season a kitten took shelter under the security guard’s chair and my daughter took it into the house. I spend a lot of time with this creature and it gives zero shits about anything I’m thinking about. ...
Photo courtesy of Sahan Gooneratne December’s deaths caused by illegal electric fences of three tuskers, beloved characters in their territories, marked the 449th elephant death of 2023, bringing the estimated death toll to the highest ever recorded in Sri Lanka. More than 169 people too have lost their lives, mostly from rural communities engaged in agriculture. For centuries elephants have ...
Photo courtesy of Sahan Gooneratne December’s deaths caused by illegal electric fences of three tuskers, beloved characters in their territories, marked the 449th elephant death of 2023, brought the estimated death toll to the highest ever recorded in Sri Lanka. More than 169 people too have lost their lives, mostly from rural communities engaged in agriculture. For centuries elephants have ...
Photos courtesy of Mahendra Dhammika A bright yellow road sign on a quiet suburban road, more than 20 km from Colombo, warns oncoming motor traffic of an unlikely pedestrian. This area has become an odd choice of home to a few herds of spotted deer. A subspecies endemic to the island these shy, spotted creatures have made their home in ...
Life on earth including our country is steered by energy. Earth’s primary source of energy is sun. Autotrophs capture solar radiation and store energy through the process of photosynthesis so that the heterotrophs could use up the energy which was stored in the course of history. Humans have got the ability to release a vast amount of energy in a ...
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/231112/news/do-not-panic-but-be-aware-of-stonefish-when-walking-in-shallow-sea-538179.html Recent reports of unsuspecting swimmers being stung by Stonefish in Galle, have raised concerns. Stonefish are considered one of the most venomous fish in the sea. Senior lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Dr. Janaka Ruben, said the venom is not only painful, but more dangerously, a big dose could be fatal to humans. He said it was ...
These days, staying indoors sounds like a great idea, particularly when it’s a dizzying 32°C outside and, as always, the air is polluted with the greenhouse gas emissions of city traffic, buildings, and burning waste. But, as you beat the heat in the comfort of your living room or your air-conditioned workspace, do you have the consolation of knowing the ...
High air pollution levels in Delhi threaten to cancel the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 encounter between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka scheduled to be played on the 6th of November (Monday) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. Reporting from Delhi, India. Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have canceled their first training sessions scheduled on Friday and Saturday respectively. Bangladesh ...
Photo courtesy of Medium For many years the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) has been criticised for its lack of intent in upholding the principles of conservation. There are times, however, when the DWC does act on science and principle, upholds its values and is supported by the relevant political authorities in so doing, and this should be lauded. One ...
The cat, Pippi, and the dog, LillyThey say ‘fighting like cats and dogs’, so the creatures presumably know a lot about conflict. We have a dog and recently got a cat and spent about a month getting them to not fight. It’s been Mashallah, successful so far. Right now, they’re play-fighting under my sarong, which is quite unpleasant for me, ...
Photo courtesy of Forbes Sri Lanka has had multiple reports of threats posed to the lives of blue whales off its southern coast, with incidents having increased in frequency in the recent past. Reports indicate that nine blue whale strandings and fifteen whale mortalities occurred between January 2010 and April 2012 and four blue whale deaths between January and May ...
Photo courtesy of WNPS Today is World Habitat Day “International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity.” United Nations Observances In 1985, the United Nations declared that the first Monday in October is celebrated as World Habitat ...
Illustration by Mark Garlick, Science Source (via)The dinosaurs dealt with much worse climate change than us (the air was literally on fire) and somehow survived. The terrible lizards got shrunk down to rotisserie size, but they were still alive. After thousands of years, they even thrived, coming back as ‘terror birds’ in time. As I’ve written, we should be so ...
The cat and my wife, who claimed to not like catsThey say write what you know and, right now, I’ve got a cat literally crawling all over me. It may not be of particular interest, but he’s in front of the keyboard so this is what you get.Our daughter has always wanted a cat but A) we have a dog ...
Right now, the urgency of clean water and organic food has garnered our attention. But, what about the air we breathe? Humans can survive for 30 days without eating, three days without drinking, yet only three minutes without breathing. In fact, 70% of what we consume is air, which amounts to just over 2,000 gallons per day. It’s no secret ...