Lahugala Kitulana National Park is one of the
smallest national parks in Sri Lanka. Despite its land area, the park is an important habitat
for Sri Lankan
elephant and endemic birds of Sri Lanka. The national park
contains the reservoirs of Lahugala, Kitulana and Sengamuwa and they are
ultimately empties to Heda Oya River. Originally it was designated as a wildlife sanctuary on July 1 of 1966. Then the protected area was upgraded
to a national park on October 31 of 1980. Lahugala Kitulana is situated
318 km east of Colombo.
Mean annual rainfall of the area is about
1,650 millimeters (65 in). North east monsoon persist during the
months November to December. Two dry periods last from May to October and
January to March. The terrain of the park is flat with occasional rocky outcrops.
Nearby Magulmahavihara is supposed to
have been built for the occasion of the marriage of King Kavan Tissa to Prince
Viharamahadevi. Later the Viharaya believed to be offered to the Sangha community.
The national park's vegetation is
classified into Sri Lanka dry-zone dry
evergreen forests. Dominant grass species Sacciolepis
interrupta is a main food source for elephants. Common
floral species of the park include Drypetes sepiaria, Manilkara
hexandra, Berrya cordifolia, Vitex pinnata, Chloroxylon swietenia, and the golden
shower tree.
This national park is traditionally used
by elephants as a feeding ground. A herd of 150 individuals is attracted
by Sacciolepis
interrupta grass which is common around the Lahugala tank.
Endemic toque macaque, tufted
gray langur, sloth
bear, golden
jackal, rusty-spotted
cat, fishing
cat, Sri
Lanka leopard, wild
boar, Indian
Muntjac, Sri
Lankan axis deer, Sri
Lankan sambar deer, Indian pangolin and Indian
hare are the other mammals found in the park.
Many wetland birds found in Lahugala
Kitulana include great white pelican, purple
heron, painted
stork, lesser
adjutant, white-bellied
sea eagle, grey-headed
fish eagle, common
kingfisher, stork-billed
kingfisher, white-throated
kingfisher, Spot-billed
pelican, Asian
open bill and woolly-necked
stork are also recorded visiting the wetland. The last
recorded sighting of knob-billed
duck, now thought be extinct in Sri Lanka, occurred
in here. Red-faced mal koha and Sri Lanka spur fowl are two endemic birds that reside in the park.
Endemic Bufo atukoralei, Fejervarya limnocharis, Polypedates maculatus, Banded bull frog, and Microhyla rubra are
among the amphibians of the national park. Python molurus, Rat snake, Chrysopelea spp. Boiga spp., Dryophis spp.,
and Russell's viper are among the notable reptiles. Melanochelys
trijuga and Lissemys
punctata are two freshwater
turtles that inhabit in the tank of Lahugala.
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