Wilpattu National Park

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Coordinates:  8°26′N 80°00′E
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wilpattu National Park

IUCN category II (national park)

One of the many trails within the park

Wilpattu National Park

Location North Western and North Central provinces, Sri

Lanka

Nearest city Mannar

Coordinates 8°26′N 80°00′E

Area 1,316.671km2

Established 1905 (Wildlife sanctuary)

25 December 1938 (National park)

Governing body Department of Wildlife Conservation

Ramsar Wetland

Official name Wilpattu Ramsar Wetland Cluster

Designated 2 February 2013

 Reference no. 2095[1]

Wilpattu National Park (Sinhala: විල්පත්තු ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය) is a national park in Sri

Lanka. The unique feature of this park is the existence of "Willus" (natural lakes) –
natural, sand-rimmed water basins or depressions that fill with rainwater. Located on the
northwest coast lowland dry zone of Sri Lanka, the park is 30 km (19 mi) west
of Anuradhapura and 26 km (16 mi) north of Puttalam (approximately 180 km (110 mi)
north of Colombo). The park is 1,317 km2 (508 sq mi) (131,693 hectares) in area and
ranges from 0–152 m (0–499 ft) above sea level. Nearly one hundred and six lakes
(Willu) and tanks are found spread throughout Wilpattu. Wilpattu is the largest and one
of the oldest national parks in Sri Lanka. Wilpattu is world-renowned for
its leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) population. A remote camera survey conducted in
Wilpattu from July to October 2015 by the Wilderness and Wildlife Conservation Trust
captured photographs of forty-nine individual leopards in the surveyed area, the core
area density of which was between that of Yala National Park's Block I and Horton
Plains National Park.[2]
From December 1988 to 16 March 2003, the park was closed due to security concerns
surrounding the Sri Lankan Civil War, before being reopened to visitors sixteen years
later. Visitor access is currently limited to approximately 25% of the park, the remainder
of which is dense forest or scrub. Popular visiting periods span between the months of
February and October, although there are a number of private ecotourism groups that
conduct safaris year-round.

History[edit]
The Mahavansa records that in 543 BC Prince Vijaya landed at Tambapanni now
known as Kudrimalai Point (Horse Point), established the Sinhalese kingdom in
Tambapanni and founded the Sinhala nation. In 1905 the area was designated a
sanctuary and in 1938 it was upgraded to the National Park status.'
Kudrimalai, or Horse Point, was visited by a subject of Emperor Claudius in 47 AD, who
was blown off course by the monsoon. The local king later sent his own envoys to
Rome during the time of Pliny.[3]

Climate[edit]

Marshy vegetation.
The annual Rainfall is about 1,000 mm (39 in) and the annual temperature is about
27.2 °C (81.0 °F). Inter-monsoonal rains in March and the northeast
monsoon (December – February) are the main sources of rainfall.

Flora and fauna[edit]

There are many types of vegetation to be found in Wilpattu, including littoral vegetation,
such as salt grass and low scrub monsoon forest with tall emergents, such as palu
(Manilkara hexandra), and satin (Chloroxylon swietenia), milla (Vitex altissima), weera
(Drypetes sepiaria), ebony (Diospyros ebenum) and wewarna
(Alseodaphne semecapriflolia).
31 species of mammals have been identified within Wilpattu national park. Mammals
that are identified as threatened species living within the Wilpattu National Park are
the elephant (Elephas maximus maximus), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus
inornatus), leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) and water buffalo (Bubalus
bubalis). sambhur (Rusa unicolor unicolor), spotted deer (Axis axis ceylonensis),
mongoose, mouse and shrew are more of Wilpattu's residents.
Birds[edit]
The painted stork, the open bill, little cormorant, Sri Lankan junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii)
along with many species of owls, terns, gulls, eagles, kites buzzards are to be found at
Wilpattu National Park. Wetland bird species that can be seen in Wilpattu are
the garganey (Anas querquedula), pintail (Anas acuta), whistling teal (Dendrocygna
javanica), spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), black-headed ibis (Threskiornis
malanocephalus), large white egret (Egretta alba modesta), cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis)
and purple heron (Ardea purpurea).
Reptiles[edit]
The most common reptiles found in the park are the monitor lizard (Varanus
bengalensis), mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), common cobra (Naja naja), rat
snake (Ptyas mucosus), Indian python (Python molurus), pond turtle (Melanonchelys
trijuga) and the soft shelled turtle (Lissemys punctata) which are resident in the large
permanent Villus.

Expansion of the boundary[edit]

The boundary of the Wilpattu national park originally enclosed the Puttalam District in
the south and Anuradhapura District in the east.[4][5][6][7] On October 10, 2012, the
government published several gazettes (section 3 of the forest conservation ordinance,
chapter 451) which effectively extended the park's boundary to include regions of
the northern province.[8][9] The expansion of the Wilpattu National Park boundary in 2012
is considered a significant obstacle for internally displaced people, particularly those
affected by the Expulsion of Muslims from the Northern Province of Sri Lanka by the
LTTE to return to their homeland.[10]

Deforestation[edit]
After the end of the civil war, allegations had been made [by whom?] that parts of the reserve
has been occupied to build houses by certain politicians in an attempt to create Muslim
colonies in Wilpattu.[11] The multiple civil societies and researchers put forth the notion
that these were people who had been forcibly driven away by the LTTE in 1990 in
accordance to their ethnic cleansing policy who had returned to their original villages.
     Notably, the park was extended to the current size in 1999 after the ethnic
[12] [13] [14]

cleansing where the old villages were marked as part of the park as claimed by the
people in this area.[15][16] Aerial images taken in 2018 reputedly shows that a considerable
portion of the forest has been opened up and a large number of small houses being
built in the area.[17]

Gallery[edit]
Photographs of animals taken within the national park.
Birds[edit]


Greater coucal
 

Sri Lankan junglefowl

 

White-bellied sea eagle

 
 

Crested treeswift
 

Black-winged stilt
 

Malabar pied hornbill

 

Orange-breasted green pigeon

 
 

Blue-tailed bee-eater
 

Asian green bee-eater

 

Chestnut-headed bee-eater
 

Green imperial pigeon

 
 

Indian paradise flycatcher

 

Crested serpent eagle

 

Changeable hawk-eagle
 

Black-capped kingfisher
 
 

Brown shrike
 

Cattle egret
 

Grey heron
 

Indian peafowl
 
 

Painted stork

Reptiles[edit]


Bengal monitor
 

Indian rock python

 

Mugger crocodile

Terrestrial animals[edit]
 

Sri Lankan elephant

 

Sri Lankan leopard

 

Sri Lankan sloth bear

 

Sri Lankan axis deer

 

Tufted gray langur

References[edit]
1. ^ "Wilpattu Ramsar Wetland Cluster". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April  2018.
2. ^ Gunawardana, Kithsiri.  "Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka". Wilpattu.com. Retrieved 11
February  2018.
3. ^ "Project Expedition". Project Expedition. Retrieved  2021-02-07.
4. ^ "Separating The Issues Concerning Muslim Resettlement". Colombo Telegraph. 2015-06-01.
Retrieved 2021-04-25.
5. ^ "Survey Online Store".  www.survey.gov.lk. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
6. ^ "Future of the displaced in Musali South – Ilankai Tamil Sangam". sangam.org. Retrieved  2021-04-
25.
7. ^ BARRETTE, Cyrille (1977). "Some aspects of the behaviour of muntjacs in Wilpattu National
Park". Mammalia. 41 (1): 1–34.  doi:10.1515/mamm.1977.41.1.1.  ISSN  0025-
1461.  S2CID 85200104.
8. ^ H., Hasbullah, S. (2015). Denying the right to return  : resettlement in Musali South and the Wilpattu
controversy. Kandy Forum. ISBN 978-955-7902-00-5.  OCLC 986423834.
9. ^ "Muslims Caged In Musali". Colombo Telegraph. 2017-04-09. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
10. ^ "Muslims Caged In Musali". Colombo Telegraph. 2017-04-09. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
11. ^ "Wilpattu deforestation controversy". Retrieved 30 September  2018.
12. ^ "The Controversy of Wilpattu – Ilankai Tamil Sangam".
13. ^ Köpke, Sören (2021).  "Contested Conservation, Ethnopolitics, and the State". Conservation &
Society.  19  (1): 57–67.  doi:10.4103/cs.cs_19_113. JSTOR 26979978.  S2CID 232023641.
14. ^ "The Wilpattu Controversy: Open Letter to the President". 31 March 2017.
15. ^ "Wilpattu deforestation controversy". Retrieved 30 September  2018.
16. ^ "Wilpattu deforestation controversy". Retrieved 30 September  2018.
17. ^ "New developments in deforestation of Wilpattu". YouTube.  Archived  from the original on 2021-12-
21. Retrieved  30 September 2018.