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 ...
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/231105/news/watch-out-for-exhausted-feathered-migrants-in-your-home-gardens-537692.html published on SundayTimes on 05.11.2023 This the season when our feathered winter visitors arrive in Sri Lanka, and ornithologists have urged the public to keep a lookout for them. October is usually the month when the majority of migratory birds arrive. However, some of them are exhausted after their long flight. The Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyura), known as Avichchiyain ...
Published on SundayTimes on 29.10.2023 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/231029/news/new-mushroom-species-found-in-home-gardens-and-university-537041.html The rain has become a hassle for most Sri Lankans these days, but keep an eye on your garden as these damp conditions could wake up sleeping mushroom beauties. “Sri Lanka has very good mushroom diversity, but as these are largely understudied, perhaps the mushroom in your garden too can be a species new ...
Published on SundayTimes on 04.06.2023 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230604/news/step-in-to-your-home-garden-and-observe-the-birds-521712.html Connect with nature by stepping into one’s own home gardens, is the message from the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL), as tomorrow (June 5) marks World Environment Day. “Most home gardens in Sri Lanka still harbour a lot of biodiversity, but we do not pay enough attention,” says FOGSL president Prof Nihal ...
Among the many dansal that were organised across the country to mark Vesakwas a special dansala held in Weheragampita, Matara, offering fresh kirala juice mostly unique to the southern part of the country. The Kirala fruit grows in the marshes and the drink made from it is known to be very refreshing. Though older generations are familiar with the taste, the present ...
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230402/news/if-you-see-a-fluffy-ball-of-feathers-fallen-somewhere-give-it-some-tlc-516056.html published on the SundayTimes on 02.04.2023 Monday, March 27, was the first day of a brand new school term for 5-A students of Sujatha Vidyalaya, in Matara and students rushed early to school But they were not the first to step into the freshly painted classroom. A pair of fluffy baby birds who were in a nest on a ...
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230326/news/sinharaja-jumbo-emerges-wildlife-officers-manage-to-avert-incidents-with-villagers-515451.html published on SundayTimes on 26.03.2023 ‘Panu kota’, an elephant in Sinharaja forest made an appearance last week close to villages in Neluwa. The elephant was first spotted on March 13 in Kosmulla before it started making its way through the villages in an attempt to make an annual migratory route. The appearance of the elephant saw wildlife officers of ...
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230319/news/turtle-boom-on-the-southern-coasts-514998.html Published on SundayTimes on 19.03.2023 This year, the southern coasts of Sri Lanka saw a resurgence of turtles coming to nest. The birth of rare leatherback turtles in a protected area of the Matara beach this week was the high point of this phenomenon. From a clutch of about 80 eggs, 45 baby leatherback hatchlings emerged and were released ...
Published on SundayTimes on 19.03.2023 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230319/news/risks-from-crocs-higher-during-mating-season-514965.html Piladuwa is a hamlet in Matara close to where the famous poet ‘Gajaman Nona’ lived. Piladuwa ela flows through the village and crocodiles inhabit this stream. This stream links with the Nilwala River, so occasionally, oversized crocs have been observed. One such giant croc had been seen for several days and the villagers trapped ...
Benefits to be shared in a free and equitable manner Published on SundayTimes on 12.03.2023 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230312/news/lanka-hails-historic-un-deal-to-protect-high-seas-resources-514390.html The ocean covers more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and each country is given the right to manage an area of oceans extending 200 nautical miles (about 370km) from the shore which is known as the ‘Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)’. The ...
Published on SundayTimes on 05.03.2023 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230305/news/after-three-days-lost-leopard-cub-reunites-with-mother-513527.html February 26 was just another day in Yullifield Estate in Hatton, when a worker in the Erroll division stepped into the toilet in his small backyard. He got the shock of his life on seeing a leopard cub inside. The estate management informed the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s (DWC) regional office of the find. ...
Published on SundayTimes on 05.02.2023 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230205/news/net-entangled-whale-shark-rescued-and-released-into-ocean-510430.html With the hope of getting a good catch, a group of fisherfolk gathered at Nawakkadu beach in Puttalam on Monday. They laid a large ma dela (seine fishing net) in the morning and began pulling on the ropes after some time. The ma dela felt heavier than the other days, and this brought smiles to their ...
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/221113/news/president-launches-climate-prosperity-plan-aiming-26-53-billion-usd-501661.html published on SundayTimes on 13.11.2022 Sri Lanka has reiterated its call for climate compensation pointing out that his country is one of the worst affected by rising emissions from the industrialised world. The call was made when President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressed the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) of the signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ..
President to launch Sri Lanka’s Climate Prosperity Plan at COP27 in Egypt; proposes to establish International University on Climate Change https://www.sundaytimes.lk/221106/news/lanka-looking-to-make-climate-change-an-opportunity-for-low-carbon-economy-500859.html Published on SundayTimes on 06.11.2022 As a high-level UN summit on climate change starts today in Egypt, Sri Lanka and other climate-vulnerable countries will push for the need of having more funds for loss and damage caused by ...
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/221030/news/first-time-bird-sightings-in-kerawalapitiya-as-migratory-season-kicks-off-500253.html Published on SundayTimes on 30.10.2022 The migratory bird season this year, has taken off with the first-time sighting of a Black-Winged Pratincole (Glareola nordmanni), a ‘near-threatened’ migratory bird in Kerawalapitiya – a birding spot bordering Colombo. This bird has never been seen before in this area during the migratory season. The rare bird was spotted and identified by Malik
The Young Zoologists’ Association celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend (October 22nd and 23rd) with its annual exhibition on wildlife arts and photography at the JDA Perera Gallery at Horton Place in Colombo 7. Published on SundayTimes on 23.10.2022 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/221023/news/50-years-of-educating-lankan-youth-on-nature-and-wildlife-499804.html The exhibition will have more than 200 creations by young members of the association. The wildlife arts section is named ...
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/221016/news/marine-turtles-get-a-second-chance-while-nets-still-pose-risks-498881.html Published on SundayTimes on 16.10.2022 Fishing gear in Sri Lankan waters continues to pose dangers to marine turtles, and there is little help on shore for creatures that are seriously injured. The bycatch remains problematic. But, in the nearby Maldives, a group is helping to rescue and rehabilitate injured marine turtles and experts point out the importance of establishing ...
Published on SundayTimes on 01.10.2022 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/221002/news/sri-lankan-fishermen-worlds-biggest-manta-killers-feeding-chinese-demand-497490.html Sri Lanka holds the dubious record of killing the most mantas and devil rays compared with all global and large industrial purse seine fisheries combined. A survey of local fish markets from 2005 to 2020 also has revealed that this level of manta fishing is not sustainable. According to the Manta Trust, manta and ...
The Jaffna Peninsula at the northern tip of Sri Lanka, off-limits for decades because of the country’s civil war, is home to one of the richest collections of corals on the island, a study shows. Led by Jaffna native Ashani Arulananthan, the survey cataloged 113 species of hard coral, of which 36 have never been found anywhere else in ...
Sri Lanka’s artisanal fishers are catching more manta and devil rays every year, including endangered species, than all global large industrial purse seine fisheries combined, a study shows. Manta and devil rays, collectively known as mobulid rays, have slow reproductive rates, so even low to moderate levels of bycatch can have major impacts on their populations. Driving their overexploitation ...