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BASED IN LEOPARD SAFARIS’

TENTED CAMP, GILLIAN MCLAREN

EXPLORES YALANATIONAL PARK IN AQUEST TO SEE ASIAN

SPECIES OF ANIMALS,WITH HIGH HOPES OF AGLIMPSE OF THE FAMED

LEOPARDS, REPUTED TO BEAMONGST THE LARGEST

IN THE WORLD.

There is a severedrought in YalaNational Park in

South East Sri Lanka. Evena gentle breeze stirs thedust, which coats the treesthat have sparse canopies.Animals are under stress, theirneed for scarce water causingthem to congregate at anyremaining waterholes. As harshas these conditions are for theanimals, they are perfect for gameviewing.

“We need to be ready very early,then we will be one of the first safarivehicles into Yala”, Noel Rodrigo statesauthoritatively.

He knows that I am a South African who hasbeen on many safaris throughout Africa, butassures me that I will be enriched by myexperience in Yala National Park, where there isthe greatest variety of Asian species of game andbirds in the country, many of which are endemic toSri Lanka. “Recent population counts indicate that wehave the most dense concentration of leopards in Asia,and indeed one of the best in the world, right here!”declares Noel triumphantly.

I shower beneath the multitude of stars, in my canvasbathroom open at the top to a sliver of moon and branchesof an Ironwood tree. After a hastily drunk cup of CeylonTea, served by smiling staff, I board the customised ToyotaLand Cruiser. We bounce along rudimentary roads, wherewe are immediately rewarded for our dawn departure whenwe spot a usually- nocturnal Small Civet.

As we enter Yala 1, Noel warns me that we will be travelingfairly fast for the first few kilometres, to reach the bestwaterhole. “Stop please” he commands our naturalist en routeand we listen in silence to the alarm call of Spotted Deer. My pulseis racing and I feel inordinately excited that I may see one of thelegendary Sri Lankan leopards, Panthera pardus kotiya, anendangered sub-species. As we edge forward, a leopard insouciantlystrolls out of the scrub jungle into the road! He is a magnificent maleand somewhat larger than the African leopard. I am entranced. Hestands still and gazes at us with confidence, then flops down into theshort grass. “As leopard is the apex predator here, they don’t reallyneed to drag their prey up into trees like they do in Africa”, Noel informsme. “It is thought that this lack of competition from lions or hyenas is afactor that has enabled this sub-species to evolve to its larger size.”

THE OWNER OF LEOPARD SAFARIS – AN UP MARKETCAMPING OUTFIT, FIFTEEN MINUTES DRIVE FROM YALA 1’SLESS CROWDED BACK ENTRANCE - IS PASSIONATE ABOUT

CONSERVATION OF DIMINISHING WILD AREAS IN SRI LANKA.

On Safari in

Sri LankaOn

Safari inSri Lanka

OnSafari in

Sri LankaBy Gillian McLaren

Fascinated by the various modifications and decorations on the filled–to-capacityJeeps, with their colourful occupants, I take photographs of this cultural melee.Many worshippers from the Sithulpawwa Buddhist Temple sited in the park - orthe famous temple of Kataragama in the nearest village, which is visited byHindus, Buddhists and Muslims – take the opportunity for a safari drive aftermaking their poojas.

We leave the crowded waterhole for a riverine area where we eat ourpacked breakfast. The spot is exquisitely beautiful, with a perennialstream beneath tall trees, where a troop of graceful Ceylon GreyLangur forage. I relish my pol roti with mildly spiced dhal, freshfruits and iced, fresh King Coconut milk, as we gaze at the edenicscene, where a Ruddy Mongoose darts down to quench her thirst.Happily, I tick off Stork-billed, White-throated and CommonKingfisher, as well as many other birds, including Brahminy Kiteand Crested Serpent Eagle.

Back at Leopard Safaris’ campground, lunch is servedbeneath a shady tree. I see a flock of Rose-ringed Parakeet,geckos and a tarantula, which staff has captured to show mebefore they release it away from our living area. After a finefeast on Negumbo prawns and an array of curries withaccoutrements, I rest in the alfresco lounge area to pagethrough some field guides and Yala wildlife coffee tablebooks, until I am lured to a hammock, where I drift intoa pleasant sleep.

On subsequent drives in the impressive terrain ofscrub jungle and thorny grasslands then headingdown to the ocean, I see scrubby-furred Sloth Bear,herds of Asian Elephant and Water Buffalo,Sambar Deer and Mugger Crocodile.

Massive granite boulders - which housedBuddhist monks in their overhangs in the thirdcentury BC, as recorded in ancient Sanscrit onone of the rock surfaces - are enhanced by avivid pink sunset.

Hospitality - especially in the form ofplying with food- is a national trait, which isextended even to animals. Sounders of Wild

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Finding a leopard so soon, on my first game drive is athrilling experience.

When our leopard rises and disappears into the junglewe continue to the waterhole. After maneuvering into the

best position, we sit in silence and wait. Scores of birdspecies come to sip, including Indian Peafowl in their

iridescent breeding finery, Sri Lanka Junglefowl with crimsoncomb and long tail feathers and Malabar Pied Hornbill

sporting a huge casque. Spotted Deer timidly move out fromunderneath the tall trees, across the open area with its short

grass to the water and nervously drink, their senses alert. Withvelvety antlers, the male is majestic and a baby deer is as

endearing as Bambie. A Garden Lizard, with vibrant colours and spiked skin, sits

motionless on the fallen branch of a Woodapple tree. Safari vehiclesarrive at the site and jostle for position.

DESPITE THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES – AT ONE STAGETHERE ARE FOURTEEN- THERE SEEMS TO BE A CODEWHEREBY QUIETUDE IS RESPECTED AND VEHICLES’

IGNITION IS SWITCHED OFF WHEN THEY HAVEESTABLISHED A SUITABLE VIEWING ANGLE.

EACH GROUP THANKS ME SINCERELY, WITH OPEN SMILES, FORTAKING THEIR IMAGE, AS IF BY DOING SO I HAVE HONOURED

THEM. THEIR WARM, HUMBLE ATTITUDE IS CHARACTERISTIC OF SRILANKAN PEOPLE IN EVERY PART OF THE COUNTRY I VISIT.

d

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Boar - with adorablepiglets like striped

watermelons - forage inYala, where food is tossed

their way. On the public roadbetween Yala 1 and area 3, I

later see an elephant male- oneof the 5 to 7% of Asian Elephants

in Sri Lanka that have tusks- whohas learned to hold traffic to

ransom by demanding food for safepassage past him. He comes right

up to our vehicle, sniffs me, waitsand then saunters over to a tuk- tuk

when I fail to pay the toll. The drivertosses him a coconut and in a plume of

black smoke, accelerates off with fear inhis face. It is an unrivalled experience to

have this huge mammal’s hairy trunk atsuch close quarters, seeing even the details

of a cataract in his left eye and I admit tofinding it awe-inspiring, despite qualms about

this habituation of dangerous wild animals.Leopard Safaris ensures that I see the

maximum number of species, while being royallytreated and informatively guided. Now, it is as if

creation groans as it waits for rain. Water Buffalowith thin flanks crowd together into stagnant

water, green with algae. I am grateful that I am ableto visit Yala 1 to see the rich game and bird life just

before it closes in September, to allow the area torecover and animals to patiently endure. The monsoons

will come, as they have done for millennia.

Leopard Safaris www.Leopardsafaris.com noel@leopardsafaris.com+94713314004/+94777314004

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