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.