Overfishing threatens the magnificent and prized ‘Ali Maduwa’, writes Malaka Rodrigo� A giant “maduwa”, or manta ray, was netted last week by fisherman in Welipatanwila, Ambalanthota, on the South coast. The ocean creature was pregnant and weighed 1,500 kilograms. A week earlier, another manta ray was caught by fishermen in Akkaraipattu, on the East coast. Both sea creatures have been ...
More animals die so that we can ride in comfort In more sad news from Yala, the body of a female leopard was found on Friday inside Yala National Park itself, on the verge of the Jamburagala road. The body had no apparent scars but the postmortem revealed the leopard died due to a broken neck (spinal code). There was ...
Sri Lanka’s second International Airport at Mattala/Hambanthota opens today. The airport has been shifted from Weerawila to Mattala due to protests by farmers and environmentalists. But the new location is further into the heart of Elephant Territory, alleges Environmentalist. The Researchers has radio-collared elephants from selected herds roaming in the area and the satellite based data shows the kind of ...
..a video and images showing that a soldier on foot firing his automatic rifle aimed at air to scare the jumbo emerge. Luckily, Gemunu ran toward the jungle. But what if he panicked and with the fright, decides to attack the soldier…? Wouldn’t he unleash the bullets in his firearm toward Gemunu..? ..and it will be the end of another ...
On the heels of last week’s story of innocent animals dying in collisions with speeding vehicles is a positive report of young people erecting road signs to prevent Sri Lanka’s second-largest wild cat falling prey to careless motorists. The first signs went up last week at Gannoruwa and Haloluwa critical fishing cat death sites in the Kandy district. The fishing ...
The oceanic Earthquake of magnitude of 8.7 near Sumatra occurred at the worst possible time for Sri Lankan who are getting ready for Avurudu. Tsunami sirens were activated and evacuation orders were issued immediately. It is always better to be ‘worry’ than ‘sorry’; but when I was checking the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre www.ptwc.weather.gov, they had it just as a ...
A wildlife ranger was tragically killed this week when an elephant whose gunshot wound he was trying to treat suddenly turned and attacked him. Wildlife Guard B.M.C.K. Basnayake was the second wildlife officer killed by an elephant this year and the 75th ranger to die in the course of duty since the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) was established. ...
Today, is the traditional New Year of Sri Lanka (celebrated mainly by Sinhalese and Tamils – hence’ Aluth Avurudu’ as it called in Sinhala). Except for the song of the Koel – all the other Nature’s symbols of Avurudu including the crimson blossoms of Erabadu, ripen Kadju Puhulam, Olinda and Panchi games are now getting a rare sight. Likewise traditions related ...
Today is Avurudu but have you heard the messenger of the New Year, the koha? �The song of the koha, or the Asian Koel, is a special part of the Avurudu season, like the Western cuckoo is termed the first harbinger of Spring. But do we hear the koha’s melodious song as frequently as in the past or is it ...
Caption: An elephant calf believed to be snatched from the wild. Pic courtesy Environmental Conservation Trust Environmentalists have raised fresh concerns over the possible increase in the illegal abduction of elephant calves, following the Wildlife Conservation Ministry granting an amnesty period for the registration of wild elephant calves. Environmentalist, Sanjeewa Chamikara, Director of the Environment Conservation Trust (ECT) said in a ...
Geologists claim Sri Lanka has very little chance of experiencing a major earthquake but point out the importance of preparedness given the disaster in Nepal. A bulldozer clears debris from collapsed houses following the earthquake in Bhaktapur, Nepal. REUTERS An earthquake usually occurs when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another, hit each other or break apart ...
Rafters protest hydro project that dams their livelihood Kithulgala is Sri Lanka’s premier white-water rafting location but a hydro-power project threatens the future of this tourist attraction. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is building the Broadland Hydropower Project on the Kelani River as a run-of-river (ROR) type power plant. ROR plants need little or no water storage but under this ...
The theme of the World Water Day (22nd of March) this year is ‘Water and Energy’. With the aim of raising awareness on the subject, a 2 day workshop has been organized inline with World Water Day (WWD) official celebrations that is being held in Tokyo, Japan. The following has been captured during this WWD workshop.
When the Sunday Times broke the story about the leopard killed in a hit-and-run accident inside Yala National Park last Friday the issue went viral on social media, reaching a peak when Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe stood up for action. In a post on his official Facebook page the Prime Minister said his government was looking into how it could ...
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/191117/news/butterfly-boom-sees-crowds-of-yellow-visitors-suddenly-appear-378447.html Published on SundayTimes on 17.11.2019 A swarm of Lemon Emigrants (c) Dr.Michael van der Poorten Sri Lanka is experiencing a butterfly boom these days with even suburbs of congested cities such as Colombo seeing an increase in the fluttering visitors. Many of them belong to the yellow Lemon Emigrant (Catopsilia pomona) species that traditionally begin a seasonal movement at ...
Yala National Park that was closed for drought for one month re-opened today as scheduled. Until yesterday, there was doubt whether reopening of the park would be be postponed due to threats to the Wildlife Officers following Friday’s shooting that killed a poacher at Yala. Local sources claim the family and close allies of the dead man threatened wildlife officers which subsequently led ...
Drawn to cleared roadsites, the beautiful birds are falling victim to predators of steel Huge warning boards recently erected at the Matara end of the Southern Expressway carry an unusual caution: “Danger – Peacocks Ahead”. Large warning board on Southern Expressway near Matara (C) Sajeewanie Kodippili “After the Galle-Matara stretch of the Southern Expressway opened in March we found ...
Experts fear EIA report may go to the dustbin, point out major damage to habitat and heritage. Garbage disposal has been a major headache for Colombo which generates as much as 1,200 metric tonnes of rubbish every day. The dumping sites, some of them in the midst of residential areas, are also bursting at the seams. No solution yet ...
Forest officials and experts have expressed serious concern over illegal and unchecked harvesting of weni wel, Sri Lanka’s age-old multi-cure herb, by racketeers and profiteers driven by the high demand for it. �Recently, forest officers in Thawalama arrested four people who were transporting without a permit some 700 kg of weni wel. Thawalama forest officer Sunil Kaluthotage said the suspects ...
As the triennial meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora takes place in Bangkok, Malaka Rodrigo stresses on the need to save those species which are fast becoming a rarity in our waters A crucial proposal on protecting sharks and manta ray species has stirred debates and discussions ahead of a vote ...
