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 Yala
National Park is the most visited and second largest national
park in Sri Lanka, bordering the Indian Ocean. The park consists
of five blocks, two of which are now open to the public, and
also adjoining parks. The blocks have individual names such as,
Ruhuna National Park (block 1) and Kumana National Park or 'Yala
East' for the adjoining area. It is situated in the southeast
region of the country, and lies in Southern Province and Uva
Province. The park covers 979 square kilometres (378 sq mi) and
is located about 300 kilometres (190 mi) from Colombo. Yala was
designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1900, and, along with
Wilpattu was one of the first two national parks in Sri Lanka,
having been designated in 1938. The park is best known for its
variety of wild animals. It is important for the conservation of
Sri Lankan elephants, Sri Lankan leopards and aquatic birds.
There are six national parks and three wildlife sanctuaries in
the vicinity of Yala. Among the largest is Lunugamvehera
National Park. The park is situated in the dry semi-arid
climatic region and rain is received mainly during the northeast
monsoon. Yala hosts a variety of ecosystems ranging from moist
monsoon forests to freshwater and marine wetlands. It is one of
the 70 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Sri Lanka. Yala harbours
215 bird species including six endemic species of Sri Lanka. The
number of mammals that has been recorded from the park is 44,
and it has one of the highest leopard densities in the world.
Ref:
Wikipedia
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