Kaudulla National Park - Sri Lanka

Kaudulla National Park is a national park on the island of Sri Lanka located 197 kilometers (122 mi) away from the largest city, Colombo. It was designated a national park on April 1, 2002 becoming the 15th such area on the island. In the 2004–2005 season more than 10,000 people visited the National Park, generating an income of Rs.100,000 from entrance fees. Along with Minneriya and Girithale Bird Life International have identified Kaudulla as an Important Bird Area.

Historically Kaudulla was one of the 16 irrigation tanks built by King Mahasen. Following a period of abandonment it was reconstructed in 1959. It now attracts and supports a variety of plant and animal life, including large mammals, fish and reptiles.

The region receives an annual rainfall of 1,500–2,000 millimeters (59–79 in) including rain from the north-east monsoon. A dry period persists from April to October. Temperature ranges from 20.6 °C (69.1 °F) to 34.5 °C (94.1 °F). Many plant and grass species grow well during the rainy season whilst an abundance of food and water, even in the dry period, attracts a large number of herbivorous mammals to the park.

The vegetation of the park represents Sri Lanka's dry evergreen forests.  Chena cultivation and grasslands surround the tank area. The community of phytoplankton in the Kaudulla tank includes blue green algae, Microcystis spp. and diatoms such as Melosira spp.. Manilkara hexandra, Chloroxylon swietenia and Vitex altissima are the dominant tree species in the forest surrounding the tank. Bushes such as Randia dumetorum, and Calotropis gigantea and grasses such as Imperata cylindrica, and Panicum maximum are abundant in some areas.

The fauna species recorded in the park include 24 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles, 26 species of fish, and 160 species of bird.

In the drought period Sri Lankan elephants move to the Minneriya tank to drink and feed. Around the month of September the elephants move to the Kaudulla tank in search of more water and food. Despite the escalating human-elephant conflict, the number of elephants increased in the dry zone and 211 individuals have been counted in Kaudulla as recently as 2008.

Sri Lankan sambar deer, Sri Lankan axis deer, chevrotain, wild boar, Sri Lankan leopard, and sloth bear are other mammals found in the park. Kaudulla National Park is also one of the sites in which the gray slender loris is reportedly found in Sri Lanka.Following the discovery of a two-month-old albino Sri Lankan axis deer calf abandoned by her mother, it is supposed that Kaudulla is probably the only national park in Sri Lanka to have albino axis deer.

Large water birds such as spot-billed pelican and lesser adjutant visit the Kaudulla tank. Fish species in the tank include the freshwater Oreochromis mossambicus. Fejervarya pulla is an endemic amphibian to Sri Lanka that inhabits the National Park.Freshwater turtles, Indian flap-shelled turtle and Indian black turtle are the noteworthy reptiles.

It is reported that the spread of invasive, alien species such as Lantana camara is posing a threat to the wildlife of the park.The Kaudulla-Minneriya jungle corridor linking Kaudulla to Minneriya National Park was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 2004.

Amur leopard - World’s Rarest Wild Cat Doubles in Number

The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia and Jilin Province of northeast China, and is classified as Critically Endangered since 1996 by IUCN. Only 14–20 adults and 5–6 cubs were counted in a census in 2007, with a total of 19–26 Amur leopards extant in the wild.

 

Amur leopards differ from other subspecies by a thick coat of spot covered fur. They show the strongest and most consistent divergence in pattern. Leopards from the Amur river basin, the mountains of north-eastern China and the Korean peninsula have pale cream-colored coats, particularly in winter. Rosettes on the flanks are 5 cm × 5 cm (2.0 in × 2.0 in) and widely spaced, up to 2.5 cm (0.98 in), with thick, unbroken rings and darkened centers.

At least 57 Amur leopards now exist in Russia’s Land of the Leopard National Park, up from just 30 cats counted in 2007, according to new census data announced last week. An additional 8 to 12 leopards were counted in adjacent areas of China, meaning the number of Amur leopards, a rare subspecies considered the world’s rarest wild cat, has more than doubled over the past seven years.

The census - taken with camera traps spread out over more than 900,000 acres of primary leopard habitat - collected around ten thousand photographs which scientists used to identify nearly 60 individual animals, judging by the distinctive pattern of spots on the leopards’ fur. The census was carried out by the Land of the Leopard National Park jointly with the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with the support of The Amur Leopard Center and WWF-Russia.

“Such a strong rebound in Amur leopard numbers is further proof that even the most critically endangered big cats can recover if we protect their habitat and work together on conservation efforts” said Dr. Barney Long, who leads Asian species conservation for World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in the US. “There’s still a lot of work to be done in order to secure a safe future for the Amur leopard, but these numbers demonstrate that things are moving in the right direction.”

Land of the Leopard National Park, which includes all of the Amur leopard’s known breeding areas, was hailed as a lifeline to the critically endangered cat when established in 2012. The park extends across nearly 650,000 acres, and is also home to the endangered Amur tiger.

According to Yury Darman, head of WWF Russia Amur Branch and a member of the Supervisory Board of The Amur Leopards Center, "The national park became the main organizational force for leopard protection and research.”

Conservationists are working towards monitoring leopard populations across the border in neighboring Chinese nature reserves. One of the highly anticipated next steps would be the establishment of a Sino-Russian transboundary nature reserve.

 

Lovers Leap fall - Nuwara - eliya - Sri Lanka.

This beautiful 30m fall is initial of the streams and brooks of Sri Lanka's highest mountain, the Pidurutalagala (2524m). It flows over hard granite ledges and the water is collected in a tank and used for drinking. In dry spells, the flow is relaxed the fall is said to derive its name from the tragic tale of a prince, who while hunting in the jungle, lost his way. He was rescued by a beautiful damsel, and the two became inseparable lovers. But the match was not to the liking of the prince's subjects, so the two decided to immortalize their love by leaping from the top of the fall to their death.

Superstitious villagers avoid the fall at night. The Lovers Leap fall is situated in Hava Eliya, 1.5km from Nuwara Eliya, Nuwara Eliya District. 

A sump is built in the downstream to collect water for a portable water system. You have to walk 500m from the main road to reach the place where the water sump is located. And there is a moderate trek of another 100m to reach the base of the fall.