Horagolla National Park is one of the latest national parks in Sri Lanka. It is so called because of an abundance of Dipterocarpus
zeylanicus (Hora) trees. The area was originally
declared as a wildlife
sanctuary on 5 September 1973 due to its rich biodiversity. Later on 24 June 2004, Horagolla was elevated to
national park status. Horagolla is the only urban
park in the Western
Province of Sri Lanka. The park is situated close to Horagolla Walauwwa, the home of the Bandaranaike family. The park is situated some 40 kilometres
(25 mi) from Colombo.
Horagolla is a low-country evergreen forest.
The park has a humus soil structure and hot temperature persists throughout
the year. Many tree species are in abundance including Dipterocarpus zeylanicus (Hora), Canarium zeylanicum (Kekuna), Dillenia retusa (Godapara), Caryota urens (Kitul), Pericopsis mooniana (Nedun), Mangifera zeylanica (Atamba), Sacred fig, Alstonia
scholaris (Ruk Attana), Acronychia pedunculata (Ankenda), Vitex pinnata (Milla), Mimusops elengi (Moonamal), Breadfruit and Pterospermum canescens (Velang). Also various liana Entada rheedii (Pus-wel) can be
seen. In the forests of the park, Gmelina
arborea (Ethdemata), Filicium decipiens (Pihimbiya), Mahogany, Teak and Golden
Shower Tree (Ehela) are
predominant.
The mammals found in the park include Fishing Cat, Sri Lankan Spotted Chevrotain, Golden
Jackal, and Grizzled
giant squirrel. Horagolla is considered a birdwatching site. The number
of bird species recorded from the park is 68. The most common are Parakeets, Black-crested Bulbul, Barbets, and Asian
Koel. Some of the other bird species seen in the
park include Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Layard's
Parakeet and Oriental
Dwarf Kingfisher. The rare Clipper, Ceylon Birdwing and Blue
Mormon are the butterflies known from the park. Many threatened
species including tortoises are found in Horagolla. Pythons and cobras are among the
many reptiles found in the park.
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