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Mirissa whale boats to be reined in
More regulations and guidelines will be imposed on whale-watching boat operators in Mirissa. Licenses will not be issued to vessels this year as part of the measures planned, wildlife officials say....
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Village tank project provides lessons for restoration
Sri Lanka is famous for its irrigation heritage, but only the marvels of large tanks built for irrigation draw attention, while small village tanks are ignored. In many cases village tanks function as...
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Sea cucumber hatchery to give momentum to industry while saving species
The construction of a new sea cucumber hatchery was initiated in Mannar yesterday at a cost of Rs 180 million rupees, says Nimal Chandraratne, the director general of National Aquaculture Development...
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Deadly garbage dumps pose elephantine problems ?
Agonising death: The elephant which died after suffering for more than a month after eating garbage at Manampitiya. Pic by Karunaratne Gamage An elephant which had been regularly eating garbage at...
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Winning ‘Wildlife Service Excellence Award’
I received the award “Vishishta Poorna Sewa Prasadini”(විශිෂ්ඨ පූර්ණ සේවා ප්රසාදිනී) at the Sewa Prasadini Abhises – 2017 (Service Excellence Awards) organized by the Ministry of Wildlife and...
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Fishermen playing deadly games with dolphins
A video captured by an onlooker shows some of the dolphins being hauled in while alive Deaths of a dozen dolphins trapped in a beach seine net (ma dela) last Wednesday evening in Trincomalee has...
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Toxic waste water disposal goes on unchecked
World Water Day falls on 22nd of March. This article was published on SundayTimes on 17.03.2017http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170319/news/toxic-waste-water-disposal-goes-on-unchecked-233273.html A canal...
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Threatened dugongs thrown a lifeline
The dugong is the most threatened marine mammal likely to disappear from our waters, but there are efforts to save the species reports Malaka Rodrigo. Published on SundayTimes on 26.03.2017...
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Building boom endangers sand and gravel resources
Sri Lanka’s lawmakers this week approved a proper mechanism to mine sand, gravel, and rocks from lands belonging to the Mahaweli Authority and Forest Department where applicable. The decision aims to...
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Super pods of sperm whales put on marine spectacle
The eight-strong orca pod get ready to charge towards the sperm whales. Pix courtessy Andrew Sutton While observing a super pod of nearly 100 sperm whales, marine mammal expert Ranil Nanayakkara...
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Rare bottom-dweller is a vulnerable fish
‘Why humans are so cruel..?’ could it be Shark Ray’s last thoughts..? In the animal kingdom, there are species that look alike, or ‘hybrids’, between two or more creatures. Marine creatures with such...
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Koha’s call overseas comes from another species
Singer of the Avurudu song – the Male Asian Koel (c) Udara Samaraweera The Koha or Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) is considered the harbinger of Sinhala and Tamil New Year for its beautiful song...
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Another dugong butchered in Mannar
Can giving incentives for abandoning illegal fishing methods save dugongs and other threatened marine life..? Caught red-handed – Dugong meat found in the 3 wheeler with the culprit Two people who...
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Red light for spearfishing
Following continuing action by activists and reports in media including the Sunday Times, the government has banned spearfishing. The gazette notice last month says: “No person shall engage in any...
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Urban excitement over barn owls
Kirulapana Barn owl showing its beauty (c) Shantha Jayaweera The barn owl is a rare bird in Sri Lanka categorized as ‘near threatened’ in the 2012 National Red List, but it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke...
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Enjoying the nature at backyard on Earth Day 2017
Today is #EarthDay2017 and the theme this year is “Environmental & Climate Literacy”. I had a little field visit with my little ‘birding colleague’ who had her first experience of millipedes. She...
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Real Sal blooms thrive despite the ‘cannon ball’
In full bloom: The real Sal flower at the botanical gardens, Peradeniya. Pic courtesy Peradeniya Gardens The flower with pinkish fleshy petals and strong fragrance regarded as ‘sal’ is a favourite...
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Gentle marine giant stays more on our waters
A whale shark seen with a swimmer off Colombo. Pic courtesy Nishan Perera As the sightings of whale sharks increase in our waters, experts say the world’s largest fish needs to be protected. “We still...
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Declining loris populations risk lives on power lines
The rescued loris. Pic by Tharindi Pathirana As tall trees in urban gardens become rarer, the loris appears to find electric wires an alternative way to move around. But many end up being...
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Fading fortunes of the native Vesak flower
A species of orchid that blooms in May and commonly called Vesak mal is becoming rarer. Plant experts say habitat loss and over collection from the wild are causing its decline. The Vesak orchid. Pix...
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