Our Wild Spaces Cry Out For Protection
Christopher Rezel
Sri Lanka’s wildlife parks have recently been in the news for the wrong reasons.
In mid-October a helicopter of a private airline flew at low altitude over the Kaudulla National Park spooking elephants and visitors.
It seems the pilot was doing so for the amusement of fee-paying passengers.
It is claimed the helicopter has been visiting the park regularly, probably flying low and stampeding elephants on every occasion.
More recently, safari jeep drivers called a boycott of the Yala National Park because the Wildlife Department decided to restrict jeep numbers to 300 vehicles daily.
The boycott meant a refusal to take tourists on excursions into the park, the most visited and second largest wildlife park in Sri Lanka.
Following the boycott and a recent round of talks, the Wildlife Department agreed to permit an additional 150 jeeps a day.
This means 400 through the main Palatupana entrance and 50 from the Kataragama-Katagamuwa entrance.
That has angered wildlife enthusiasts who say ballooning jeep numbers are causing damage to the park.
Nor has the increase satisfied jeep drivers.
According to Yala Safari Jeep owners’ association president, Ajith Priyantha, previously over 1000 vehicles were permitted each day to enter the park.
He rightly claims the entire area depends on tourism, implying that restricting jeep drivers will impoverish people.
In other words he is pushing for a return to 1000 vehicle visits per day.
The difference is 550 daily visits between his demand and the 450 visits now authorised by the Wildlife Department.
How this tussle will be resolved is anybody’s guess.
But the impacts will be felt by Yala village and surrounding towns that have expanded mostly because of the park.
Flash hotels and humble lodges have sprung up, as also shops, home gardens and other downstream support facilities that provide employment and incomes to many.
Undoubtedly the park has made some rich.
Jeep owners have invested in yet more jeeps and recruited drivers and support staff.
All of them will need to survive, one way or another.
Adding to the burgeoning developments are politicians who promote their protégés, even to the extent of breaking laws.
In July this year I was a visitor to Yala for three days with a group of friends who, together with me, have been visiting the park for over 50 years.
For many visitors, the main attraction are elephants and leopards.
But such animals do not show up on demand.
So people may come away claiming disappointment.
In such instances, it seems the sighting of buffalo, deer, monkey, reptile or birds are of no consequence.
If I too was to insist on seeing elephant and leopard, then not all my recent hours spent in Yala were successful.
Their scarcity made me suppose they had learned to avoid the tracks because of vehicles and man.
