One of the most beautiful stretches of rainforest in Sri Lanka is the
rainforest bordering the Hiyare Reservoir, about 18 km (approximately
half an hour's drive) from Galle. Visitors to the Hiyare Biodiversity
and Education Center have a rare opportunity to see two Hog Deer. This
extremely wary and nocturnal deer is rarely seen in the wild by
naturalists. Its is confined to western seaboard. W.W.A. Phillips in his
Manual of the Mammals of Ceylon published in 1935 gave its distribution
as being from a few kilometers North of Kalutara to Kottawa in Galle.
It is found in a band which ranges from 10 to 30 kilometers inland.
The
Hog Deer is believed to spend the day in forested patches and come out
at night to feed in swamps, paddy fields, etc. Its hooves are specially
modified to spread out slightly when it walks, to distribute it weight
on swampy ground. Hog Deer are free living in the wild in Sri Lanka, and
are considered by many authors to be a native species, despite a
curiously disjunct distribution in South Asia. W.W. A. Phillips writing
in the first edition of Manual of the Mammals of Ceylon commented of a
traditional belief that it was introduced by the Dutch or the
Portuguese. However this comment was removed from the 1980 revised
edition. The nominate species is found in tall grasslands and swamp
forest in Northern India from Uttaranachal to Assam, Mizoram and
Manipur. It is possible that DNA analysis may shed some clues as to the
origin of the sub-species of Hog Deer in Sri Lanka.
The Hiyare Rainforest as it is popularly referred to, is an extension of
the Kottawa Khombala Forest Reserve. This stretch of rainforest is
scenically situated around the Hiyare Reservoir. The reservoir and the
land surrounding it is administered by the Galle Municipal Council,
whereas the much larger forest reserve is administered by the Forest
Department. The reservoir ceased to supply water to the town of Galle in
2002 and in 2003 the Galle Municipal Council opened it to the public.
It has also encouraged and facilitated the Wildlife Conservation Society
of Galle (WCSG) which runs a field center there. The WCSG engages in
education, conservation and research. The initiative by the Galle
Muinicipal Council is a benchmark for other local authorities to engage
with the public and to support conservation and education.
A low country tropical rain forest, Hiyare has a large man-made lake within its boundaries.
Endemic species recorded at the Hiyare rainforest include the Sri
Lankan Green Pigeon, Ceylon Rose, Two-spotted Threadtail, Black Ruby
Barb, Sri Lankan Green Pit Viper and the Sri Lanka Purple-faced Leaf
Monkey.
The Forest Department manages one part of the rainforest while
another section- the reservoir catchment area is administered by the
Wildlife Conservation Society under the aegis of the Municipal Council
of Galle.
To visit the rainforest for educational or research purposes,
contact the Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle through the Municipal
Council, Galle.
Hiyare's amazing biodiversity includes,
118 Bird species - 13 endemic
33 Freshwater fish species - 13 endemic
78 Butterfly species - 3 endemic
55 Dragonfly species -12 endemic
34 Reptile species -14 endemic
18 Amphibian species-13 endemic
28 Land snail species -13 endemic
29 Mammal species - 13 endemic
Source - Travele.co.
No comments:
Post a Comment