Given its religious heritage and the history of having preserved animal life for thousands of years, in Sri Lanka, wildlife parks are by no means rare. As diversified as the landscape of the island Sri Lanka, wildlife parks house different species ranging from leopards to bears and turtles and also a number of endangered birds among many others. In fact as much as 12% of the land has been designated for wildlife conservation, demonstrating the high priority placed on the protection of the natural habitat and maintaining the equilibrium.
In Sri Lanka, wildlife parks are mostly centered around the southern and central regions of the island with the Yala National Park, Sri Lanka ’s most frequented wildlife park, boasting a high density of leopards among other species. It is located towards the south-east of the country with the Lahugala Elephant Sanctuary bounding it on the north. Another park popular for leopards and the sloth bear in Sri Lanka, Wilpattu National Park , sitting in the thicket of the jungle towards the north-west of the country, offers an exhilarating experience where animals have to be tracked through the numerous lakes known as villus. In Sri Lanka, Wilpattu National Park is the largest among wildlife parks and is now open for the public after having been closed for many years during the war.
Teeming with elephants and many other creatures of the wild are the Wasgamuwa National Park in the north-central province and the Udawalawe National Park. The ‘Gathering’ at the Minneriya National Park being the largest gathering of Asian elephants in the world during the months of August to September each year in search of food and water during the drought is indeed a must-see.
In Sri Lanka, wildlife parks are also home to a whole host of other endangered species including the purple monkey found at the Maduru Oya National Park in the dry zone.
Some of the other popular national parks in the country include the Gal Oya National Park, Bundala National Park and Horton Plains National Park among many others.
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