sri lanka animals

This macaque watched us eating lunch. (Photo Chris Hacking)

Omnipresent in Sri Lanka are the inquisitive, playful, always-hungry, opportunistic Red Faced Macaques Macaca spp.  They can be found around homes, temples, shopping centers, roadsides and in their more natural state in the wildlife sanctuaries.  Like other macaques, these monkeys have differentiated thumbs, cheek pouches for storing food and hardened bare patches on their rumps called callosities.  Red Faced Macaques adults can grow to about 1m (39in) long with a tail of equal length which they use for balance and as a fifth limb to help when climbing or walking tree limbs or wires.  They have reddish faces and and overall tan/cream colored fur with pointed black ears.  Macaques are omnivorous and can be found near garbage dumps or begging junk food from drivers by the road.  In the wild they eat leaves, berries and small animals.  Living in troops ranging from a few to many animals, both the males and females have important roles such as keeping watch or caring for the young, depending on their dominance.  Often while the females care for newborns males will watch over the older youth.Increased association with humans has led these intelligent animals to mimic human behavior and to become brazen in snatching food, hats, cameras and other unattended items.  A bite by a macaque can be quite dangerous not only for bacteria but the possibility of rabies.  It is best to guard your food and personal items closely when around the monkeys but if they start to take food, do not snatch it away or tease the animal.

Near sunset the flying foxes take flight for a night of fruit & nectar feeding

sri lanka navy

23-Nov-10 09:25

Naval troops attached to Naval Deployment Pulmudai in the Eastern Naval Area on information received from Navy Intelligence Personnel recovered 125 grams of Gelignite hidden in the beach area closer to the Pulmudai light house on 21st November 2010.

sri lanka army

Tamil Tigers - 07 ... 4 min - 6 Oct 2008 Uploaded by AlJazeeraEnglish youtube.com

Sri Lankan army closes in on Tamil Tigers - 1 ... 4 min - 1 Feb 2009 Uploaded by AlJazeeraEnglish youtube.c

sri lanka elephant

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Elephant Spotting in Sri Lanka (Formerly Ceylon)

Jun 8, 2010 Christine Hand

Working elephant, Gampola 2008 - Christine Hand

Spotting an elephant is a must for anyone travelling to Sri Lanka. Elephants can be encountered in almost any part of the island outside of the capital.

Elephants and Sri Lanka are almost synonymous, each word conjuring up images of the other. Despite their sadly dwindling numbers, they still play an important part in the religious ritual of the nation which ensures a level of protection to prevent their extinction. Elephants also play a part in the day to day life of the villagers as working animals and once outside the parameters of Colombo, the capital, an encounter with an elephant at work is not an uncommon sight. Wild animals still roam the many jungles of Sri Lanka and they can also be seen in the protected environments of zoos and wild life sanctuaries.

The Yala Wild Life Sanctuary

The Yala sanctuary is situated in the south-east corner of the island, approximately 190 miles from Colombo and can only be reached by road. The catchment area is large and there are several viewing stations. The sanctuary boast around 130 different species of birds, elephants, monkeys, mongeese, hornbills, jungle fowl, leopards, crocodiles, sambhur, spotted deer, wild buffalo and many other forms of animal life. Excellent facilities exist for camping and night spotting of animals at their watering hole. The sanctuary is closed for a few weeks during September and October.
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sri lanka animals

What a fantastic place Sri Lanka is for seeing many of the wild animals of the Indian Sub-continent!  This island-country off the southeastern coast of India is home to Asian elephants, leopards, monkeys, mongoose, sloth bears, jackals, Sambar and chital deer, water buffalo and wild boars.  Reptiles  and amphibians include crocodiles and venomous snakes such as kraits, vipers and cobras, plus the more friendly geckos, frogs, and lizards.  Birdlife is extraordinary (and we've given birds their own web pages).  Unfortunately, of the more than 80 species of mammals in Sri Lanka, at least 22 are threatened with extinction.  Habitat destruction by deforestation and water pollution is the main threat to these animals. The on-going civil war has led to more destruction especially in the north where rebels have poached animals for food.

Elephant Rock & wetlands in Yala National Park

As we traveled by rail and road throughout the Sri Lankan hills and along the coast we saw troops of wild macaque monkeys, numerous birds (especially water birds in the marshes), working elephants in the fields, and domesticated water buffalo.  The best animal viewing, however, was in Yala National Park on the southeastern coast of the country.  One of about 10 major national parks, Yala is particularly accessible to travelers and has not had the problem with poaching that some of the more northern parks have had due to the on-going civil war.  Visitors to the parks contribute much-needed revenue and play a vital role in helping spread the word about the Sri Lanka's vast and varied wildlife.
Birding is excellent in the hills, and around the lagoons, marshes and waterways of the coast, and certainly in Yala National Park with its dry scrub, rivers, and wetlands.
Photos were all taken in Yala National Park by Amanda Hacking, unless otherwise noted.  All text and photographs are copyrighted.