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 that dozens of peafowl were colliding with vehicles,” said an expressway official, explaining why the boards were erected.

The accidents are mostly fatal for the poor peafowls but also result in severe damage to vehicles.

“Suddenly there was a loud bang and the large windscreen of the luxury bus we were travelling in got smashed in,” said a recent traveller, H.B.J. Palitha, describing the moment when a peafowl hit his vehicle. “It was lucky that the collision ended with only damage to the windscreen.”

“The peafowl was gasping for air and died soon afterwards. We had to waste time stranded on the expressway until police arrived to record the incident.”

More than 10 buses plying the expressway have been damaged to date due to collisions with peafowl, said K.G. Karunasena, who works as a bus driver on the route.

“Being large birds, peafowl cross the expressway flying low. This is the worst possible height at which a collision can happen, and as they appear from nowhere we don’t have time to slow down our vehicles,” he said.

“Even now, collisions still occur,” Mr. Karunasena said; a double cab travelling in front of him last month had been hit by a peafowl.
Peafowl naturally prefer open areas so the clearances made for the Southern Expressway have provided them an ideal habitat. Peafowl in the area would have been attracted to this newfound playground as the land was being cleared but with the opening of the expressway their playground has turned into their deathbed
Peafowls traditionally inhabit dry zone areas and were not common in this area a decade ago but they have rapidly multiplied in the past few years, local villagers say.

Luckily for these avian victims of the expressway Sri Lanka’s only Wildlife Hospital, managed by Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle (WCSG), is at Hiyare, close to the expressway. WCSG President Madura de Silva says the hospital receives several peafowl victims each month. He said that collisions even happened on the Galle-Colombo stretch but the number of victims increased drastically soon after the Galle-Matara portion of the expressway opened six months ago.

According to Southern Expressway bus drivers interviewed by The Sunday Times most collisions occur in the morning between 6am and 7am when peafowls are active. They do most of their foraging in the early morning and shortly before sunset, which is why accidents are common at these times. The peafowl roam around in small flocks, and this is the time they also usually make their ritualistic dance.

While expressways are built to save travelling time, the risks of a collision killing wildlife, and the risk to human life and property and time spent on official recording of an accident, should make the public think. Surely it would be a good idea to slow down in the areas that are prone to wildlife collision as the large billboards warn?

Published on 25.08.2014 http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140824/sunday-times-2/peacocks-tragic-dance-of-death-on-expressway-114831.html

I’ve been awarded as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) on November 2014. TOYP is an effort to recognize the young people (under 40) who excel in different fields and I received the award for the ‘Environmental Leadership’. I take this opportunity to THANK all those who guided and supported me in doing related environmental work that contributed on getting this award..!!

Here are some moments from the awarding ceremony held at Waters Edge on 11.11.2014. (For more about TOYP, click on following http://www.jcisl.org/toyp/ and http://www.jcisl.org/toyp/toyp_award_winners.html)

“Birds’ welfare comes first” is the message of the FOGSL photography exhibition. This article has been published on SundayTimes on 07.12.2014 – http://www.sundaytimes.lk/141207/plus/birding-with-the-3rd-eye-130738.html

Dushantha Wasala’s photograph “The Battlefield” showing a mid-air fight of Malabar Pied Hornbills was the overall winner of the “Birding with the 3rd Eye” exhibition. Sandaruwan Abayaratne, S.N.P. Rodrigo, Dr. Gihan Rajeev and Dr. Sudheera Bandara won first prize in the categories Bird portrait, Bird behaviour, Endemic and Rare Birds and Birds in Crisis respectively.

‘Mid-air Battle’ – the overall winner

Today is the final day of the exhibition being held at the University of Colombo with the aim of reminding nature lovers that the birds’ welfare should come first and that the ethical photographer can explore a great deal of birdlife – undisturbed.

The exhibition contains 150 photographs selected from the competition held recently. Nearly 100 photographers submitted close to 500 bird photographs and an independent panel of judges – wildlife photographers – Kithsiri Gunawardane, Mendis Wickremasinghe and Isuru Udana de Zoysa selected the winners.

“It is good to see people are getting more and more interested on nature, but at the same time the same excitement should not disturb nature. Our main aim is to raise awareness that the animal’s welfare should come first,” said Dr. Sampath Seneviratne of the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) that coordinated the exhibition.

Photographers always try to go close to the birds to take their photos. But it is important to keep a safe distance. If the animal shows signs of distress, then you should stop disturbing it. You also need to be patient – never force an action. The most beautiful photographs result from natural action,” Dr. Seneviratne added.

Nest photography is another area that photographers need to be careful about. Never encroach on nests as certain species will abandon the young. Some birds select a safer place that is hidden from the predators, but if you remove foliage to get a good shot, you could be exposing the nest.

So educate yourselves by learning about birds that will allow you to take a good bird photograph without disturbing them, appeals the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka.

Veteran Herpetologist and expert wildlife photographer Mendis Wickremasinghe says the competition is unique as it has different categories helping to recognise different aspects of bird photography. The competitors could submit the photos under categories such as Bird portrait, Bird behaviour, Endemic and Rare Birds, Birds in Crisis. “If these are judged under the same category, it is natural that a Bird Behaviour photo emerge the winner. But in this format, even a portrait kind of photo is recognised,” he explained.

With the experience of judging the photos, Mendis said there were lots photos submitted for Bird Portrait and Behaviours; but very few for categories such as ‘Birds in Crisis’ and ‘Birds Habitats’. “It looks like photographers have not properly understood these categories, meaning their attention is mainly on taking a photograph. But these are categories photographers can contribute toward conservation through educating others through their photos,” Mendis added.

[The Birding with the 3rd Eye exhibition and the P.B. Karunaratne Bird Exhibition has been held on December, 2014 at the Department of Zoology, University of Colombo]

Overall winner gets the prize from Mrs.P.B.Karunaratne.

An elephant calf being kept in the temple premises of popular monk Uduwe Dhammaloka without a license has been raided by a team of Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) officers on the evening of Thursday 28^th of January. According to the wildlife officers, the elephant calf is only about 2 and half years old and believed to be snatched from the wild illegally.

The Deputy Minister of Wildlife Conservation, Mr.Wasantha Senanayake too came to the temple premises to assist the Wildlife Officers. Another elephant aged around 20 were also found in the premises. The Dep. Minister requested to handover any elephant calf being kept illegally elsewhere in the country without getting into trouble.

Environmentalists accused that dozens of elephant calves were illegally caught from the wild, also releasing a list of culprits. DWC officers raided an elephant kept by big wig of previous government Sajin Vas, but later he submitted a license leading to the elephant calf’s release back to the owner. However, environmentalists allege that the licenses are fake and sometimes being created with the help of the corrupted officers in the Wildlife Department.

The Auditor Generals’ Report also revealed misconducts in issuing licenses for the baby elephants. Fourteen such cases were among the highlights of Auditor General’s report. (Photo courtesy: Lankadeepa Online)

President Maithripala Sirisena, who himself took on the Environment portfolio, will halt sand mining in Polonnaruwa from today (February 1).

He has also ordered his officials to evaluate sustainable river-sand mining and look into alternatives.

There has long been small-scale sand mining in the flood plains around Manampitiya Bridge in Polonnaruwa but operations rose sharply some years ago as demand for river sand increased and organised goons entered the market.

Sand from the banks of the Mahaweli River also began to be removed illegally on a large scale.

The flow of the Mahaweli causes sand to accumulate around Manampitiya Bridge in Polonnaruwa, creating a flood plain around it. These special features have created several villus, creating a flood plain harbouring wildlife.

Given its high biodiversity and strategic importance the area has been declared one of the four national parks set up under the Mahaweli Scheme.
The removal of sand, however, poses a huge threat to the national park.

The flood plain is a rich feeding ground for elephants and important as a grazing ground in the dry season. It serves as an elephant corridor for jumbos moving between Wasgamuwa and Somawathiya national parks.

If the villus go dry, the elephants that feed on the nutrient-rich grass could start raiding the nearby villages, increasing human-elephant conflict, say wildlife officers, urging an end to sand mining in the flood plains.

River-sand mining has been regulated by the Mines and Minerals Act since 1992 but illegally mined sand continues to come onto the market.
With the intention of providing a monitoring mechanism on sand transportation the law was amended in 2004, making it mandatory to obtain a permit to transport sand but it is alleged there are many loopholes in the law that allow gangs to continue their rackets, bribing law enforcement officers in the process. During the previous regime there was an attempt to abolish the existing rules.

Sand mining in Polonnaruwa is being carried out by a well-controlled mafia and no unknown intruder was even allowed to visit the area by the thugs who operate the racket.

Given these factors, environmentalists welcome the new Environment Minister as it would be easier to implement conservation decisions as the Minister is also the head of the country. Mr. Sirisena held the portfolio from 2005 to 2007 under the previous regime.

Wildlife money makers only?

Environmental groups – reported in this paper last week as urging that the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) should be placed within the Ministry of Environment – are frustrated that it has instead been assigned to the Ministry of Tourism.
“The main function of the Wildlife Department is to conserve Sri Lanka’s biodiversity. But assigning the DWC to the tourism portfolio suggests that wildlife are considered only as money-makers,” one concerned environmentalist said.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150201/news/sand-mining-mafias-days-numbered-133227.html 

The Kandyan Dwarf Toad, dubbed the world’s rarest toad, has become a more select amphibian with the discovery that it shares its genus with only one other species, not two as previously thought. The toad, a member of the Adenomus genus, was discovered and last seen in the 1870s and had been thought to be extinct until it was found again in 2009.

Naturalists believed there were three species in the genus but now say DNA analysis reveals that one of them, Dasi’s Dwarf Toad (Adenomus dasi) is, in fact, the Kandyan Dwarf Toad “in disguise”. The other species is Adenomus kelaartii (Kelaart’s toad).

One factor that led to the error in identification is that Adenomus kandianus has fully webbed toes while Adenomus dasi has partially webbed feet.
“When amphibian specialists Kelum Manamendra-Arachchie and Rohan Pethiyagoda were describing Adenomus dasi in 1998 they were actually describing a slightly different mutate of A. kandianus as they had access to only a few specimens,” said lead researcher Dr. Madhava Meegaskumbura of the Faculty of Science at the University of Peradeniya.

“In a paper published last week, we put it right in the spirit of science, testing the species using many different criteria.”

Mr. Pethiyagoda and Mr. Manamendra-Arachchi are co-authors of the new research paper, published in the prestigious international journal Zootaxa.
“They contributed with their previous data and knowledge, did additional measurements and contributed to the writing, making this a collective effort and a better story,” Dr. Meegaskumbura said.

“My graduate students, Gayani Seneviratne, Nayana Wijayatilleke, Beneeta Jayawardene and Champika Bandara also contributed greatly, enabling us to use many different criteria such as DNA, morphology, tadpoles, ecology, vocalisations and bone comparison to ascertain the species boundaries of these toads.”

Dr. Meegaskumbura said the research team had been glad to find a large population of hundreds of these toads at one location; the toads, endemic to Sri Lanka, are on the critically-endangered wildlife list.

Sri Lanka is home to 119 amphibians with as many as 102 of them being endemic, making this country one of the hottest hotspots for amphibian diversity in the world.
There are eight species of toads in Sri Lanka, belonging to two genera called Adenomus and Duttaphrynus, and six of them are endemic to the country.

Three young researchers have determined that Sri Lanka has its own species of fan-throated lizards – creatures that puff out an extraordinary frill around their throats to warn off intruders – and that in fact the island has two distinct varieties.

Until now it had been assumed that the fan-throated lizards found in Sri Lanka were the same as in India.

Researchers Thasun Amarasinghe, Sameera Karunarathna and Madhava Botejue studied lizard specimens in the Calcutta and Chennai museums and realised the Sri Lankan lizards were different.

They widened their research to fan-throated lizard specimens at other foreign museums and confirmed their theory, also finding that Sri Lanka has two species of this lizard: one found in the south-eastern coastal belt from Bundala to Kumana and another in the north-west, north of Puttalam.

The two species were named Sitana devakai and Sitana bahiri to honour leading biologists Professor Devaka Weerakoon and Professor Mohammed Bahir.

“Prof. Weerakoon was one of the first scientists to initiate research on the biodiversity of the north of Sri Lanka after the restrictions of the war ended so we named the lizard found in the north, Sitana devakai,” Sameera Karunarathna said.

The team also wanted to honour Mohammed Bahir for his extensive research that established freshwater crabs as the biggest endemic group in the country. Since he came from the southern part of the island the fan-throated lizard found in the south was named Sitana bahiri.
The fan-throated lizard, just 5cm long, mostly inhabits coastal areas including sand dunes, hence its Sinhala name weli katussa (sand lizard). Its hind legs have four toes unlike other lizards that have five toes. The researchers say this adaptation helps them to live in arid areas where temperatures are high and to move about efficiently on sand.

The most interesting feature of the species is the pouch on the throat of male lizards. When a territory guarding lizard spots an intruder, it quickly advances on the trespasser and oscillates this large, coloured pouch in a display of threat. The frill found on Si. devakai is pink and blue while S. bahiri is less colourful.

The findings, by Mr. Karunaratna, Mr. Amarasinghe, Ms Botejue and two colleagues, Ivan Ineich and Patrick Campbell were published in the prestigious journal Zootaxa earlier this month.

Last year, Mr. Karunaratna and Mr. Amarasinghe took the lead in finding two other endemic lizards, Calotes pethiyagodai and Calotes manamendrai (both from the Knuckles forest) named after Rohan Pethiyagoda and Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi who contributed towards the country’s biodiversity.

Sri Lanka is home to 21 species of lizards, 19 of them endemic to the country.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150222/news/weli-katussa-species-unique-to-sri-lanka-137115.html 

Today is Vesak. I was up until late last night trying to complete the Vesak Lanterns. Then I spot Vesak Full Moon-  The sky was clear and the whole area was glowing with the light spreading by the moon relatively undisturbed by the lights of the vehicles, houses etc.. There are vesak lanterns, pandols and various other forms we use to celebrate vesak, but as usual nature has best setup to lighten the special day. (These photos were taken around 2 am early morning of Vesak Day 3rd of May.)

Decorations adorn many buildings at Vesak – but the staff of an office in Dehiwela found a special decoration covering one of their 6th floor

The curtain of bees covering the Dehiwela office building window

windows: a close look revealed it was a swarm of bees spread like a curtain across a part of a large glass window.

The bees began arriving on the morning of Monday, April 27 around 8am. Soon hundreds, if not thousands of buzzing bees covered the window, said Rajiv Welikala who alerted wildlife enthusiasts about this unusual sighting.

“They are the giant honey-bee or ‘bambara’ in Sinhala – the same species that inhabits Sigiriya,” said bee specialist Dr. Wasantha Punchihewa who visited the site.

Contrary to the popular belief that these bees are harmful, Dr. Punchihewa said they were innocent creatures that attack only if provoked.

In Sigiriya, the occasional bee attacks are often triggered by disturbances caused by visitors but here they would be left in peace: the bee colony settled on an outside of the window of the 6th floor, so chances such as a careless boy throwing a stone etc. can be ruled out.

A closer look at the “curtain”

As the windows of the air-conditioned office are sealed off the bees are unable to come inside, so it is perfectly safe to let such hives be undisturbed, Dr. Punchihewa said, pointing out that honey-bees perform a very important service to the eco-system by pollinating flowers.

In Sigiriya and other remote areas there are enough flowers for these bees to collect nectar but this colony is in Dehiwela amidst concrete jungle, so what chance do the bees have?

“What about the coconut trees? The bees could depend on coconut’s pollen, nectar and in return pollinate the trees,” Dr. Punchihewa surmised.
A bee colony is a complex social structure in which soldier bees are responsible for the safety of the hive. They have a sting linked to a venom sac that detaches from the body in an attack, and this causes the soldier bees’ death.

Bee venom contains melittin, a histamine that is painful for many hours. If a person has been attacked, the sting should be removed without squeezing the venom sac, medical experts said.

Rajiv Welikala said the “bee curtain” looked larger on the day the bees arrived but appears to have shrunk in size as bees started concentrating to form the hive. The wax they are secreting, probably with the aim of building the hive, is visible on the window.

This bee colony could depart soon as the bees realise the difficulty of building a hive on vertical glass or they might stay there for a few months before leaving in search of a new site. Whatever happens, it is fascinating to see the bambara surviving even in populated areas such as Dehiwela, Dr. Punchihewa said.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150503/news/the-buzzing-vesak-decoration-on-the-6th-floor-147699.html

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 as a result of tension caused by prolonged energy build-up.

Geologists believe the Earth’s outer layer consists of seven or eight major plates (and many minor plates), known as tectonic plates.

These plates move a few centimeters annually, with pressures building at the edges until suddenly that energy bursts forth.

Nepal is located at the edge of where the Indo-Australian plate meets the Eurasian plate and many geologists had warned about the possibility of a major earthquake.

Sri Lanka is in the middle of Indo-Australian tectonic plate so the country’s vulnerability for a major earthquake is lower, says L.R.K. Perera a senior lecturer at the Department of Geology at the University of Peradeniya.

Smaller earthquakes can, however, occur anywhere and most tremors don’t even register on the seismic meters, he added.

There are signs that the Indo-Australian tectonic plate is splitting but this is occurring about 500km away from Sri Lanka’s southern coast and the country might not experience a major impact, says geologist Prof. C.B. Dissanayake.

Yet the possibility of minor to medium earthquakes is significant due to this new development, and Sri Lanka’s vulnerability from such a scenario comes from the definite threat of tremor-induced landslides, Professor Dissanayake added.

The highland terrain of Sri Lanka is highly unstable and landslides can be easily triggered even with a minor tremor, he said.

The head of the Landslide Research and Risk Management Division at the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) K.N. Bandara, said research is being carried out into soil liquefaction in different areas of the country. Liquefaction is the process of loose soil acting like a liquid during an earthquake making the buildings and structures sink into sand.

Previous research carried out by Moratuwa University’s Geo-Technical Team under the guidance of Dr. Nalin De Silva revealed the eastern region of the country has soil more vulnerable to liquefaction, making the area more vulnerable to the effects of earthquakes.

The soil in Colombo is not so that bad as the sand is mixed with other particles such as clay, Dr. de Silva said.

The Sunday TImes learned that another research team led by Moratuwa University is preparing building codes to be considered in building earthquake-resilient buildings.

The level of damage by an earthquake depends on where it happen as even a moderate earthquake can make lot of damage in a populated area where a very powerful earthquake in unpopulated area would not cause much harm.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150503/news/lanka-safe-from-major-quakes-but-home-plate-is-splitting-147606.html

Conservationists plan for setup new National Parks. Also stresses the importance of genuine and thorough protection for these areas and not simply labelling them “national parks”. 

The government has stretched out a hand of protection of the threatened wildlife across the north, from the ragged ponies of Delft to birds that breed only on a single islet in the Adam’s Bridge chain leading to India. Four new national parks will be set up across the north, the government announced this week. They will cover environmentally sensitive areas in Chundikulam, Madhu, Delft island and the Adam’s Bridge sand islands that belong to Sri Lanka.

Resident breeder not migratory: Nesting Brown Noddy on Adam’s Bridge island. Pic by Vimukthi Weeratunga

Conservationists welcomed the move to protect the north’s unique eco-systems, overlooked for decades due to war and then came under pressure with post-war development plans. The decision was announced by Sports and Tourism Deputy Minister Wasantha Senanayake, who carries responsibility for the Department of Wildlife Conservation while President Maithripala Sirisena is Minister for the Environment.

Delft Island is the only place inhabited by wild ponies believed to have been brought to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese, who used Delft as a breeding centre. There are thought to be around 500 ponies today. The wilderness around the famous Madhu church and the Chundikulam bird sanctuary too will be gazetted national parks.The most unique area to be upgraded to national park status is Adam’s Bridge, a chain of limestone islands between Mannar and India’s Rameswaram island.

It is believed India and Sri Lanka were linked in ancient times and these are the remains of that land mass. There are eight islands on the Sri Lankan side and the furthest of them are very small and go under water at high tide. The third island from Mannar is special as it is used by thousands of seabirds for breeding, said biologist Vimukthi Weeratunga, who carried out a reconnaissance survey with fellow researchers Dr. Sampath Seneviratne and Professor Devaka Weerakoon of the University of Colombo.The team hopes to initiate a long-term study on the breeding ecology and relative abundance of birds of the sand islands. The island in question is less than five hectares but the research team found seven species of terns breeding there, building nests on the sand. Of these, six are listed as endangered species in Sri Lanka since this island is the only known breeding site in Sri Lanka for them, according to their research team.

The researchers also found a brown noddy nest with eggs on this island, which for the first time shows that this bird, thought to be migratory, is a resident breeder. Dr. Seneviratne, who has observed many seabird colonies in other parts of the world, says the density of birds in this island is high. He warned, however, that during the breeding season, fisherman reportedly often raid the island to collect the eggs. This is very disruptive, he said, commending the Navy for trying to give maximum protection to the island.

Prof. Weerakoon also cautioned that if more people start visiting these islands the breeding colonies would be disturbed and birds would abandon the island.
Declaring these Adam’s Bridge islands a national park should be done carefully as it would increase tourism, he said. The focus should be to conserve such remote locations without disturbances.

Conservationists stressed the importance of genuine and thorough protection for these areas and not simply labelling them “national parks”.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150510/news/wild-north-gets-govts-helping-hand-at-last-148433.html

On World Migratory Bird Day this weekend (9-10 of May), Sri Lanka celebrates the 200 birds that migrate to the island annually and become an important part of this country’s biodiversity. These birds fly thousands of kilometres, even crossing great oceans, in order to reach their destinations during the two-way journey. They are vulnerable to dangers lying in their path that could bring devastating results even though the sites at their destinations are protected.

World Migratory Bird Day was declared to raise the awareness of these special creatures and the threats they face. “Energy – Make it Bird Friendly” is this year’s theme to highlight the harm faced every year by millions of migratory birds which struggle with the massive expansion of energy generation and distribution.
Collisions and electrocution due to power lines as well as barrier effects from energy infrastructure can cause death and displacement. Wind farms could be particularly disruptive if set up across migratory routes.

“We need clean and cheap power that doesn’t pollute environment, so we should find ways to minimise damage and keep monitoring the impact of energy infrastructure once it is set up,” said Devaka Weerakoon, Professor of Zoology at the University of Colombo.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150510/news/wild-north-gets-govts-helping-hand-at-last-148433.html

Today morning (17th.May) the National Trust Sri Lanka (NTSL) conducted a Tour of Trees in Colombo making the participants aware of the varied selection of large trees that are hardly noticed within the city environment.

Though urbanized, Colombo still has lots of large trees where some of them are over 100 years. Vihara Maha Devi Park (formerly Victoria Park) and its suburban environs are home for many such large trees and participants of this Tour of Trees got the chance to have a guided tour to study the trees in this area. The tour was conducted by Architect Ismeth Raheem who is also a naturalist. It had drizzled briefly, but the rain gods were tolerant on the participants today morning.

Here are some of the moments from the Tour of Trees..!!

The 60kg of dried seahorses that two Chinese were attempting to smuggle out of Sri Lanka last week were intended to satisfy the myth of aphrodisiacal benefits that seals the fate of 150 million wild seahorses a year globally. The species cannot sustain such a casualty toll, conservationists say. The hundreds of slaughtered seahorses were concealed in the baggage of two Chinese nationals bound for Shanghai from Bandaranaike International Airport and were valued at Rs. 2.3 million. After a Customs inquiry the culprits were fined Rs. 50,000 each.

Customs media spokesman Leslie Gamini said this was one of the largest consignments of seahorses being smuggled through the airport although there had been foiled attempts to send larger consignments by sea. Seahorses have horse-like heads, monkey-like tails that can be used to grasp sea grass to anchor themselves, eyes that can independently move like those of chameleons and a kangaroo-like pouch that acts as a womb, helping the male to gestate eggs deposited by the female. They are, however, a species of fish that breathes through gills, and can range in size from 2cm to 30cm depending on the species.

There are four species found in Sri Lankan waters and potential for the presence of more, said researcher Nishan Perera.He said the seas in the north and north-west are preferred habitats given the areas’ shallow, calm waters with rubble and seagrass habitats. Seahorses face a threat in Sri Lanka because they are caught as by-catch and because their habitat, the seagrass beds in shallow areas, is mostly being destroyed. Even worse, seahorses are very sensitive to environmental changes, so pollution that first hits the shallow seas around the coast can adversely affect them.

Mr. Samantha Gunasekera, who established the Customs Biodiversity Protection Unit, said because India banned seahorse fishery some years ago dried seahorses caught there are smuggled into Sri Lanka by sea and re-exported because there was weaker protection in this country for these creatures.

Mr. Gunasekara said he suspects the consignment caught last week could consist of seahorses from India considering their bigger size; the same species found in Sri Lankan waters are smaller.

The world celebrates International Day for Biological Diversity each year on 22nd of May. In Sri Lanka atleast 3 events were held to mark this important day paying attention to the Earth’s Biological Diversity.

The main event was organized by the Ministry of Environment (Biodiversity secretariat) and Ministry of Agriculture commissioning a food outlet ‘Hela Bojun’ that promotes food made out of healthy ingredients closer to nature. The president of Sri Lanka, Mr.Maithripala Sirisena inaugurated the ‘Hela Bojun’ outlet. කොස් කොත්තු (Kos Kottu) – kottu made of Jack, පොළොස් කට්ලට් (Polos Cutlet), samabala rotti – balanced rotti are some of the interesting food items being served at ‘Hela Bojun’ which will be open for the public.

A lecture on ‘Biodiversity and Development’ and ‘Biodiversity and Foods’ too were delivered by prominent experts in the field. Minister of Agriculture and other senior officers of the department were among those present.

Later, the website of Sri Lanka UN REDD – http://www.redd.lk. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. “REDD+” goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

The Business and Biodiversity Platform with the assistance of Dilmah Conservation organized a lecture on the theme “Biodiversity Imperative” on the evening of the Biodiversity Day. The Young Zoologists Association (YZA) based at zoo also conducted 3 day awareness session on Biodiversity to mark the special day.

More on the International Day on Biological Diversity, visit this link https://www.cbd.int/idb/

Time to frolic: A leopard on the white sands of Wilpattu

Riaz Cader has followed his passion for wildlife from a young age. Taking his camera whenever he travelled to Sri Lanka’s wildernesses either for leisure or for work, his collection of photos has grown over the years and he felt the time was right for an exhibition of wildlife photography. His maiden effort ‘Eye on the Wild’ will take place this week.

“Through ‘Eye on the Wild’ I want to showcase the diversity of wildlife and natural landscapes of Sri Lanka,” Riaz said enthusiastically. “A diverse collection of images ranging from encounters with gigantic Blue Whales in the ocean, leopards on the white sands at Wilpattu to the elusive Sri Lanka Spurfowl in the lowland rainforests of Sinharaja to crocodile in Colombo will be on display at ‘Eye on the Wild,” he added.

Leopards, Sloth bears and elephants are Riaz’s favourite photographic subjects as he particularly enjoys travelling to the dry-zone jungles like Yala and Wilpattu. These charismatic larger iconic animals are prominently featured in the exhibition, but all the other groups of wildlife too are well represented as evident in the photographs that Riaz exclusively shared with the Sunday Times.

‘Eye on the Wild’ will also be a special treat for bird lovers as Riaz has followed the winged creatures in their different habitats. Sea bird photos are a speciality as these birds are not a particular favourite of many photographers. A difficult-to- capture Spurfowl chick with its mother too will be among the exhibits as is a mysterious Barn Owl photographed at night near Arugam Bay.

Riaz has a special interest in photographing marine mammals and says he was lucky to have a rare encounter with a pair of Killer Whales last year. ‘We were heading toward a Blue Whale when I saw a large dorsal fin emerge from the ocean’s surface. I knew it was an Orca also known as Killer Whale. It was a male and soon the female joined him to swim together giving us a spectacular show,” Riaz recalled the rare moment. Riaz was also lucky to photograph a super pod of Sperm Whales with hundreds of giants. “It was really an amazing moment to see splashing gentle giants everywhere in the ocean,” Riaz said. He has also captured a photo of a giant Blue Whale mother with her baby showing the gentler side of these true giants.

All’s clear bro: Common skinks – Wilpattu

Giving advice to those who would like to photograph marine mammals, Riaz suggests keeping the camera standby on settings to capture high speed moments as the movement of the marine mammal could be sudden, unexpected and often lasts only few seconds. He also advises aiming a little bit toward the moving direction, so the delay in clicking is compensated. As the salty environment in the ocean is not good for sophisticated camera equipment, Riaz suggests keeping your camera in a dry bag when not in use.

To complete all the major wildlife groups, ‘Eye on Wild’ also features several reptiles ranging from an egg-laying Olive-Ridley turtle in Panama to common skinks looking out from a tree cavity in Wilpattu. Riaz also followed the elusive crocodile living in hiding in the Wellawatte canal in Colombo. Riaz also loves to photograph the wilderness and his landscapes of Horton Plains, Wilpattu, Wasgamuwa and Yala are quite breathtaking. A striking photograph of a rainbow above the tree line of Yala reveals his artistic eye.

A beauty of the night: A Barn Owl captured at Arugam Bay

There are also 10 black and white fine art prints on display at the exhibition. “I felt that these images had more impact and gave out more definition in black and white without the distraction of colour. The behaviour of the animal or the portrait (for the close-ups such as that of the leopard, elephant and sloth bear) can also be seen in greater detail in this format and it adds some variety to the images on display rather than having only colour prints,” he explains.

There will be around 100 photographs on display at ‘Eye on the Wild’. The exhibition will be open to the public at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery on May 30 and 31. Entrance is free.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150524/magazine/patience-passion-and-moments-like-these-150090.html

Croc comes to town: An elusive crocodile in the Wellawatte canal

My little daughter who enjoys watching the moon every night paid my attention today to the Crescent Moon appeared on the cloudy sky. It also reminded me that today is the Ramazan Festival as celebrated by the Muslims ending their month long fasting ritual with the sighting of this ‘New Moon’.

I took a photo of the Ramazan Moon and remembered that I had photographed Vesak Full Moon too few months earlier. As the realization that it is the ‘Same Moon’ eventhough different religions interpret its appearance differently should remind everybody the futility of extremism and fighting against each other, thought of posting both photos herewith.

Wish if everybody’s mind remain unspoiled as my little daughter who can look at things through clear eyes without looking through differently colored glasses..!!

(click on the link to read my post “..beneath Vesak Full Moon” https://window2nature.wordpress.com/2015/05/03/beneath-the-vesak-full-moon/)

Ramazan’s Crescent Moon revered by the Muslims – 18.07.2015

The Vesak Full Moon – 03.05.2015

For the second time  this month, the customs Biodiversity Protection Unit has seized a consignment of live tortoises attempted to be smuggled out to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia through Katunayake International Air Port yesterday. The little tortoises were concealed with live crabs in 07 packages exported by a company in Yakkala. There were 448 tortoises weighing 200kg and valued at Rs.405,879 according to Leslie Gamini, Customs Spokesperson . The Customs Biodiversity Unit made a similar discovery earlier in the month recovering 124 live tortoises valued at Rs.930,000 on July 3. The little tortoises were concealed in the suspect’s ‘checked’ baggage and the arrest was made at the departure lounge at Katunayake airport. These tortoises too were bound to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Raising tortoises as pets is a popular pastime in many countries and it is believed these tortoises too were smuggled to be sold as pets.

Tortoises rescued on 03rd of July (c) Photo courtesy – Sri Lanka Customs

By Malaka Rodrigo. Read this Sunday’s The Sunday Times for a detailed report.

Published on TimesOnline on 29th of July – http://www.sundaytimes.lk/news-online/customs-seize-large-haul-of-live-tortoises-at-airport.html 

On 4th of August, it was reported that The Court of Appeal issued notice on Minister Rishad Bathiudeen to appear in court on September 16 following a writ petition filed against illegal removal of forest cover and illegal re settlement in Wilpattu National Park. (http://www.dailymirror.lk/82059/rishard-issued-notice-on-wilpattu-issue). Here is my article published on the SundayTimes on 24th of May, 2015.

Environmentalists to fight Wilpattu clearance in court

Despite President Maithripala Sirisena’s order to stop the clearance of forests in the Wilpattu area, the row over the forests dragged for another week with Minister Rishad Bathiudeen justifying his actions while environmentalists fought back, insisting the clearances were illegal.
The problem of illegal resettlement inside Wilpattu National Park surfaced earlier this month with social media and other groups sharing outraged messages about the resettlement.

A settlement in the area (above) and trees being cutdown

Mr. Bathiudeen, the Minister for Science and Industry, who was put in the hot seat, asserted that if it were proved that he had given out lands belonging to the Wilpattu National Park he would resign.
Environmentalists visiting the area clarified that the lands distributed were not part of the Wilpattu National Park but an associated forest called Kallaru Forest under the custodianship of the Forests Department. A small section of the Wilpattu North Sanctuary under Department of Wildlife (DWC) had also been given out.

“The lands that are distributed are not part of Wilpattu National Park but are important forest reserves connecting the areas often used by elephants. So these settlements will only create human-elephant conflict,” said environmentalist Sajeewa Chamikara.
He said the giving out of this forest land for human settlement had commenced in 2012. The clearances had been stopped temporally in 2013 and recommenced in 2014. A total of more than 2,500 acres had been cleared, he alleged.
Earlier this week, the senior officers of the Forests Department, Department of Wildlife Conservation and Environment Ministry also explained their actions to the media. The lands had been released for settlement under pressure from ministers of the previous government.
Hemantha Wiithanage of the Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ) further revealed that the land had been distributed as part of the former government’s pet project, Uthuru Wasanthaya but that the process was illegal.

“The CEJ is in the process of filing a case against the Forest Department, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Central Environment Authority and District Secretary,” he revealed. The case alleges that officials of these ministries had been forced by politicians to bend rules.

A settlement in the area (above) and trees being cutdown

At an event organised by the Ministry of Environment to commemorate the International Day for Biological Diversity May 22, the former head of the Botanical Gardens Department, Dr.Siril Wijesundara reminded participants about the importance of forests in the country’s north.

“The forests in the northern areas play a very important role regulating the north-east monsoon so it is very important to protect the remaining forests,” he said. Irrespective of such warnings, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Environmental Conservation Trust said, his organisation had information that there were plans to give out more forest lands in the north for development and resettlement.

Environmental experts point out the need of an integrated and sustainable approach to development. Soon after the war was over in 2009, the Integrated Strategic Environment Assessment for the Northern Province (ISEA) was carried out by the Central Environment Authority (CEA) and the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) with assistance of the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP).

The ISEA mapped the areas that can be used for development and the areas that should be left alone for their ecological values.
Dr. Ananda Mallawatantri, who took a leading role in this study, said ISEA was a unique concept in post-conflict development by any standards but that its recommendations of ISEA had not been fully adopted.

With increasing population and competition for natural resources between humans and animals, proper management of forests is vital.
Continued encroachment into northern forest areas will result in suffering for both wildlife and human settlers. Wildlife, particularly, will be on the losing side, and the harm they will suffer could be many times greater than that caused by the war.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150524/news/environmentalists-to-fight-wilpattu-clearance-in-court-150562.html