Sri Lanka is a land blessed with many wonders and one of them is the wildlife. For a tiny island nation, this country has quite an impressive biodiversity. There are many wildlife parks, reserves and jungles where you can catch the animals in action, but we are here to talk about one of its best, Yala. Located in the southern province, this is a great wilderness that is identified as being the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka. The park is home to a large collection of spectacular wildlife, but let’s find out the top three.
Elephants
The magnificent Sri Lankan Elephant or Elephas maximus maximus as it is scientifically known, is native to the country and is one of the three subspecies of the Asian elephant. Unfortunately, ever since 1986, these amazing creatures have been listed as endangered by the IUCN. So conservation projects are underway and Yala National Park is dedicated in a mission to conserve these great beasts. There are about 300–350 elephants in the herds of Yala, and as always these herds are led by a matriarch.
Leopards
Yala is recorded to have one of the highest leopard densities in the world! So spotting at least one of these beautiful creatures is the highlight of almost any traveller visiting Yala. However, it is not so easy. Leopards are extremely elusive creatures and whenever a leopard is spotted there’s quite a traffic centred around it, so most of the time all you get is a glimpse of it. The best time to see leopards is at the early hours of the day. If you’re staying at a Yala hotel located as close to the park as Chena Huts is, this would quite an easy thing to do.
Sloth Bears
This is the most elusive resident of Yala and spotting one is limited only for the lucky souls. The Yala National Park is famous for sloth bears. Unfortunately, just like leopards, sloth bears are also highly threatened, and there is said to be only a population less than 1000 in the country. It’s also a very shy creature. Sloth bears are omnivorous beasts and feast on berries, roots, nuts, meat, small animals, and carrion. The best time to see the sloth bear would be between the months of May and July as it is the fruit season. During this time this amazing creature would be scouring the jungles in search of juicy berries and fruits.
Auburn Silver is a travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world. Google+