http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210912/news/rare-sighting-of-ocean-glider-454946.html Published on SundayTimes on 12.09.2021 A seafaring bird has been swept up into Sri Lanka amid the recent stormy weather accompanied by heavy showers. Naturalist and researcher Chandima Fernando who had observed photos he received on WhatsApp tentatively identified it as a white tern. Fernando contacted seabird expert Rex I. de Silva who confirmed the identity and it turns ...
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/210801/news/ring-around-the-sun-a-marvel-if-not-a-miracle-451156.html published on SundayTimes on 01.08.2021 Nobody knows who spotted it first but news of an iridescent ring around the sun spread faster than light on Thursday, prompting crowds to look up at the sky. There was, in fact, a large circle of light resembling a full rainbow around the sun against the backdrop of a clear sky. Solar Halo ...
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/210502/news/jaw-bomb-success-story-shines-as-wild-lanka-treasures-441942.html published on SundayTimes on 21.05.2021 WildLanka symposium is held online steered by a panel of experts operated from the DWC head office For three months, a young elephant that had its mouth blown apart with a cruel hakkapatas (explosive bait) was fed buckets of fresh juice and crushed grass through a tube inserted through a slit in its neck until its ...
Published on SundayTimes on 21.03.2021 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/210321/news/bid-to-protect-your-favourite-fish-kelawalla-but-iotc-is-tangled-in-a-net-437003.html While the Indian Ocean’s yellowfin tuna stocks are fast depleting, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission’s latest meeting ended without positive conclusions aimed at sustainable measures. The yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus Albacares), or Kelawalla as it is popularly known locally, is probably one of the most favoured fish of Sri Lankans, but little do we kno
Let science drive the solutions, president told Published on SundayTimes on 14.03.2021 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/210314/news/no-more-chasing-of-non-problem-elephants-into-wilpattu-experts-436244.html A pair of happy Wilpattu elephants enjoying a frolic in a lake. They too will suffer if more elephants get driven into the park. Pic by Namal Kamalgoda President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s offer of driving elephants away from a village area into the Wilpattu National Park has been ...
Published on SundayTimes on 21.02.2021 https://www.sundaytimes.lk/210221/news/end-silo-approach-to-marine-research-scientist-urges-433244.html It is to Sri Lanka’s credit that there are so many bodies engaged in ocean science research but it is vital that data is pooled so that the country can learn how to use marine resources without destroying them, a leading scientist said. Professor Charitha Pattiaratchi’s call comes at the start of the United ...
A recent global IUCN Red List assessment of the amphibians of Sri Lanka has highlighted that 72 of them are threatened with extinction, with 20 critically endangered. Evaluators identified the rapid loss of wet-zone cloud forests as the most immediate threat to the island’s amphibians, and highlighted three priority sites that are uniquely important for their conservation. In recent ...
Everyone is asked to stay home as a measure to slow down spread of COVID19. The situation is bad, but should we spend time glued to TV, Computer or to mobile phones browsing through the social media etc..? This is indeed a very rare opportunity that children and parents get to spent time together, so shouldn’t we use this time ...
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/200315/news/coral-dance-of-death-glowing-glowing-gone-396418.html published on SundayTimes on 15.03.2020. Sri Lanka’s foremost coral expert, Arjan Rajasuriya, recently received a call from an excited diver friend. “I’ve just gone diving and found varieties of corals that I had never seen, glowing with fluorescent colours. They looked really beautiful,” the friend said. But the news held no excitement for Mr. Rajasuriya, only sadness. “Look, ...
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/200308/news/unsung-eco-warrior-gains-long-due-protection-395606.html published on SundayTimes 08.03.2020 Vidattaltivu mangrove forest in Mannar district (c) EFL A hugely underrated eco-warrior is only now gaining national protection with the first steps being taken to safeguard existing mangrove forests and reclaim lost growth. Forest Officer Devanee Jayathilaka’s courageous stance in protecting a mangrove patch in the Negombo lagoon has brought welcome media attention to ...
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/200301/news/jaw-breakers-endangering-lives-of-children-and-pets-394590.html Published on SundayTimes on 01.03.2020 Jaw bombs used to harm elephants could also end up being a social issue, activists warn. Laura, a playful female German Shephard who suffered grievous injuries to her jaw from a hakka patas blast eventually succumbed to the injuries Children and domestic animals including pets are falling victim to the small explosive devices called ...
On World Wildlife Day next on 03rd of March, charismatic wildlife such as endangered elephants, leopards and the vulnerable sloth bear will take the stage – but one species is routinely ignored, to our peril. Diverse fish species on a common malu lella There will be protests to protect forests such as Wilpattu, Sinharaja and even mangroves. “But are ...
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/200223/news/horrifying-rise-in-jaw-bombs-brings-agonising-death-to-jumbos-393505.html Published on on SundayTimes on 23.02.2020 Playful baby elephants were half of casualties ..!! The female elephant calf was thirsty. Standing in the shallows of a water hole at dusk, it hurriedly sucked water into its trunk. It then curled its little trunk toward its mouth in an attempt to quench its thirst but there wasn’t a proper ...
The Sinharaja Forest Reserve in southern Sri Lanka will be expanded fourfold through the incorporate of surrounding forests into the protected area. The new reserve will span 36,000 hectares (88,960 acres), and will help conserve a biodiversity hotspot known for being home to a treasure trove of rare species found nowhere else on Earth. Current threats to Sinharja and ...
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/191215/news/you-better-watch-out-antarctic-seal-in-town-382887.html published on 15.12.2019 on SundayTimes It seems the elephant seal from the Antarctic might be here for Christmas, continuing to attract crowds and cause traffic jams in Colombo. The southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) that was first spotted on November 20 off Unawatuna has been resting on rocks off Wellawatte and Kollupitiya in Colombo, creating traffic congestion along the ...
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/191208/news/antarctic-seal-in-catastrophic-moult-expert-381541.html published on SundayTimes on 08.12.2019 The southern elephant seal from Antarctic polar regions continued its mysterious way around the coast this week, visiting Colombo on Friday for several hours and resting on rocks off Kollupitiya beach before returning to the water. Experts pleaded with the public not to disturb the Experts pleaded with the public not to disturb ...
Remnants of war were still evident in 2014 when this team launched its search operation in the Jaffna peninsula. Members combed the territory, checking muddy marshes, waterholes, beaches, thorny scrub jungles and abandoned facilities; they moved carefully across the rugged landscape, turning rocks, lifting decaying logs and even fallen palm leaves in their path. Bombed out pits-turned freshwater pools ...
With the main nesting season for olive ridley sea turtles getting underway, the species faces a range of threats in the waters and beaches of Sri Lanka. The country’s navy recently rescued 32 turtles trapped in shrimp fishing nets in the island’s north. Marine turtles in Sri Lankan waters often end up entangled in nets, posing a serious threat ...
