Memories- My first visit to Yala National Park

Yala or Ruhunu National Park is the most famous Safari destination in Sri Lanka. The park was out of bounds for a few years due to a terrorist attack in 1996, therefore even after Yala was re opened to the public the school did not want take any risks by taking young school chindren into a place with another possible terrorist threat. I had heard so many stories about Yala, and had seen many old black and white photographs of my mothers trip to the park. Finally during the April holidays of 2000, I was able to go to park which I have heard so much about. For me, this was a big step up from what I was used to. The parks I used to visit at the time, Wasgamuwa, Udawalawe and Bundala all had elephants, but we hardly saw other animals. Even the deer were very shy in these other parks, thus it was a big surprise for me to see so many spotted deer in such close proximity, and being so used to vehicles. It was also the first time I saw wild boar.

We camped at Jamburagala Camp Site, which had a small cement structure, thus not requiring tents. Water was supplied by a well some distance away for water. We were strictly instructed not to go to the well alone as the place was next to some rocky outcrops which were frequented by bears. I remember the well being very stale and the water was very brackish with small shrimp like crustaceans floating on the surface. That evening at around 10.00 PM we heard the unmistakable rumble of an elephant very close to the camp site. Mr. Rohan one of our school masters who joined us on the trip was sleeping in the jeep closest to the elephant. Nirmal Sir had warned us of the phobia Mr Rohan had of elephants. I slowly woke him and whispered that there is an elephant close by. He yelped in fright and scrambled from the back seat into the front seat of the jeep, and from there made a hasty retreat towards the building. The elephant clearly frightened by the noise went on it way. We were in fits of laughter, as Mr. Rohan on other occasions was a very tough individual.

The next day morning we were driving along Uraniya road, and while taking a bend came face to face with a tusker. This was my first tusker in the wild and I was extremely excited. This tusker was named Anuradha and I couldn’t believe my luck, a tusker on my first park round in Yala. We had a face off for a few minutes, and then the tusker went on its way into the bush. Still buzzing with excitement from the encounter I had a hearty breakfast and worked on the camp chores till evening. In the evening round while heading back to the campsite from an uneventful safari I encountered my first leopard on the middle of the road in Jaburagala. It was a large male, and after snarling at the lights of the jeep (it was pitch dark), it started walking along the road, and we followed it, for some distance before it slunk into the darkness of the forest. I was beyond words by then a tusker and leopard in one day was something I could never have imagined back then.  

That night we were all in a jubilant mood, and Nirmal sir seemed to be a little at ease as well , and allowed us to bathe at the well for a little longer than normally allowed. I was given a small camp bed by my friend Bimantha, and I remember it being so flimsy that it would collapse down if I moved too much, and I slept very carefully because Rohan Uncle was sleeping on the floor next to me and as he was very irritable I did not want to upset him. I slept soundly and in the morning I tried to slowly get off the bed and  quietly step over the sleeping Rohan Uncle, but suddenly the bed gave way and  it collapsed with Rohan Uncle underneath. I believe he would have had the shock of his life and the bed with all my weight fell on top of him. I swiftly jumped off him and darted out to the open before he could catch me. I heard him loudly cursing back at the scene of the incident, and I hid from him for the rest of the day.

The next few days we saw one more tusker on the main road. Its name was Kublai Khan after the great Mongol Emperor. It gave a small mock charge and thereafter remained on the road for more than 30 minutes, so we turned back and headed the other direction. We also took part in a small project where we put up sign boards along the Palatupana road warning vehicles of crossing animals and urging them to slow down. This was due to a request made by the park warden as many animals, especially small ones such as monitor lizards and black naped hare, were being run down. We were also given a lecture about the park by one of the senior rangers who visited our campsite. Back then I maintained a field book with notes on all my sightings, and learning’s from each trip.

My first visit to Yala will never be forgotten and will be the first of many visits to this amazing park.

The Mighty Sando

Sando , the name alone brings shivers to anyone who has encountered him. He is the most dominant and aggressive tusker in Yala National Park. So aggressive, hes single handedly responsible for ramming many safari jeeps and chasing down even more.

He is said to be responsible for brutally attacking other bull elephants including Gemunu the famous tusker of Yala.

He appears in Yala when hes in musth, which is a heightened state of aggression male elephants come to when their testosterone levels are elevated and is the time they are most aggressive and are seeking mates. During this time, bulls don’t think about food, and are always agitated and on the move looking for females in estrous or in season. Males in musth usually secrete a pungent oily substances from the sides of their cheeks and dribble urine constantly. Studies have shown that when bulls reach musth they are able to compete and dominate other males even those bigger than them to win a chance to mate.

Sando was named because, he had smashed an Irrigation Department double cab in a lake close to Yala Block III few years ago. And hes been visiting Yala Block I every time he comes into musth.

He was even sighted in Kumana where he had whacked a jeep two years ago. Hence his range is quite vast and you never know where he would turn up.

I have been wanting to see this giant tusker for quite some time. I remember heading to Yala in 2014 after hearing of his appearance. But not having any luck. The same happened in the following years, and I was thinking what bad luck I had given everyone else who headed to Yala had a close encounter with this giant.

Finally in 2019, we set off with hopes of finding him. On our first evening safari we saw him at quite a distance with some females, but could not get a clear shot. It was amazing to see so many vehicles lined up and watching him, knowing his fearsome reputation.

The next day morning we headed back in quite early, and entered from the Katagamuwa side, and while driving on towards the Yala junction we got news hes been spotted close to Komawewa on the main road. Heading to the location we just missed him as we saw his massive behind disappearing into the bush. We turned into Komawewa and took the road towards Suduwelimulla, when we came across him on the road, but walking extremely fast towards the bush. We could not get a good sight of him as he disappeared once again.

We turned onto the main road once again, and from the Diganwala area a jeep flashed their lights, and our drive excitedly sped on the road towards the jeep, not knowing what this guy was signaling about. To our shock Sando was on the move and about to cross the road from the start of Diganwala, which was blind to us on the left, and luckily passed him fast, as if we had stopped in front on him he would have surely rammed onto the jeep and toppled us.

He crossed the road and walked briskly to the other side. He was in a daze and was walking all over the place. We headed to Kota Siyambala area hoping to anticipate him appearing from that side , and waited for quite some time with no luck.

Thereafter we thought, maybe he has walked towards Medha Para and hence headed back towards that area. As soon as we turned to Medha Para, there he was, and was walking straight towards us. The driver froze, and we watched in awe at this colossus coming straight towards us. After a few seconds our driver decided its too close for comfort and began backing up and Sando kept on coming, until he decided to swerve to the right and go deep into the bush.

It was such an exciting sighting and we were left in awe at this majestic bull tusker. Seeing him finally was amazing and I have to say this is one of the most exciting moments I have had in Yala.

Kabini- A Venture into Nagarhole National Park

Nagarhole National Park, popularly known as Kabini due to the Kabini River, is a very popular wildlife destination in India, and famed for its sightings of a rare individual leopard with Melanism, also known commonly as a Black Panther or Black Leopard.

I organized a tour to visit this park in December 2019, and along with a group of 10 clients, set off from Colombo.

The flight was very short, and we reached Bangalore airport in 1 hour.

We landed at 2.30 AM and thereafter had a long 5 hour drive to Kabini River Lodge, which was our abode for the next 4 days

En-route we stopped over at Mysore for breakfast and reached the lodge by around 11.30 AM. The reception area onwards we could see the beautiful sprawling campus that is Kabini River Lodge. Once the personal hunting lodge of the Maharaja of Mysore, it was a very charming property with old buildings and a colonial nostalgic feel to the whole place. After check in processes were done, a naturalist gave a tour of the lodge and its schedules. The entire safari program is managed by the lodge and is scheduled.

 The Reception

 Jeewaka making fun of me for eating the cutlets Ranee made for us

 The old colonial buildings were quite charming

 Beautiful Sprawling Campus

Waiting to check in

Our rooms were charming tented cottages, which were very clean and neat. The meals are served in a restaurant area, with a large spread of Indian cuisine. Thereafter tea is served at 3.00 PM followed by the jeep safari. Allocations of the vehicles and park zones we are to visit are all determined by the Lodge.

Our group were assigned 2 jeeps, which were very comfortable and spacious.  Infact these were the most comfortable jeeps I have ever been in.

The naturalist for my jeep was Wijay and our driver was Amjad, both worked together to get us the best sightings possible. They were top class guides and infact the best I have seen in India.

Wijay and Amjad

Our first venture was to the A Zone, which is best known for the Black Panther, as soon as we entered, I noticed the thick and tall foliage and trees, which were very interesting. There were open fire lines which ran across the zone, which gives a long range view. In one of these fire lines I saw a very large tusker and urged Amjad to drive towards him. It was a very impressive animal with thick long ivory. Initially I thought this was the famous Mr Kabini who had the most impressive ivory I have seen from an Asian Elephant, but it wasnt as this was a younger elephant. But nevertheless the tuskers in Kabini are far more impressive than the ones we see in Sri Lanka. The tusker quenched his thirst by the nearby water source and continued feeding on the grass.

We moved on, and continued our search. I noticed the sheer determination and observations of both driver and tracker which truly impressed me.

We turned on to a forested path, where we stopped and lied in wait as we heard the alarm calls of the Grey Langur's . After waiting around 20 minutes Wijay noticed a leopard coming out into the open, it was a female, and in a flash it crossed the road and dissapeared into the bush. Continuing our drive, we came across a large herd of elephants. It was impressive to note even in this herd we observed two young tuskers. On our way out, we came across the largest Indian Bison or Gaur which I had ever seen. Unfortunately the light was so low, I could not capture a good photograph. But the muscles and sheer size of this animal was very impressive.

Returning back to the lodge we were welcomed with tea and snacks and at night a very impressive dinner. This was truly a world class lodge, and a place which was very well managed. It is surprising to note its a state run property and yet so well managed.

Early the next day we headed on our second safari to the A Zone, we observed a mixed flock of birds, we simply switched our engines off and observed the many calls. We noticed there were quite a number of Raquet Tailed Drongo's among this flock.

The park it self is full of life with many Spotted Deer, Grey Langur, and Wild Boar roaming around.

Back at the lodge we enjoyed a lovely breakfast and spent the remainder of the day at leisure until our next Safari time.

That evening we ventured once again to the B zone and headed to a known water hole where Wijay claimed a mother and three semi adult cubs are seen. We waited there for over an hour, in idle waiting for something to happen, but nothing really did. Then another jeep drove towards us and the guides and drivers were having a friendly chat, when the guide of the jeep suddenly shouted out “Tiger, Tiger” and we saw the cat we were looking on further up the road. Driving there, we noticed one tiger walking into the forest, and one remained on the roadside. Not wanting to startle the cat, we waited. It took over quarter of an hour as the cat who was seated near a small mound began walking towards the tree line. Suddenly it did what we never expected, as it climbed a tree. This was unprecedented and I have never come across a case of a tiger climbing a tree, and nor have our guides or drivers. But given their weight and size this is not natural to them unlike leopards, and the cat slowly slid back down, with its hind quarters first, showing its not comfortable with the practice whereas leopards come down head first. Thereafter the young tiger slowly walked towards another tree, scent marked and made itself comfortable and sat and watched us. 

It was a very eventful evening and as it was getting dark we left the beautiful cat and made our way out.  Just as we passed the tiger, we came across a sloth bear on the roadside. This was truly an eventful evening. 

The next day, we went along the park boundary, which was said to be a great place where tigers cross into the village and return back early morning. While driving we got news of a large male tiger asleep in the bush. We rushed to the site and saw the faint stripes and markings but could not get a clear view. We waited for over an hour but there were no signs of the big cat awakening, and hence we left this particular sighting and continued. The safaris itself were very pleasant as the surrounding forest habitats are beautiful and we came across yet another very big tusker. 

 The Tented Cottage at the Lodge

In the afternoon safari, we struck lucky with a pack of 6 Indian Wild Dog or Dhole, who I was dying to see, these tenacious animals are known as the top hunters in the Indian Jungle and known to take down animals much bigger than them. There are reports of super groups of wild dog even taking down tigers. Hence it was a pleasure to get up close with such a formidable predator. The pack was led by an Alpha who had a different coloration with a white underbelly which was not present in the others. When reading up about this it seems the more mature adult dogs have this white underbelly coloration. The unique call they were making was very un dog like, and hard to describe. 

That evening we came across one more tusker who was quite large , and as well as a large single tusker who crossed the forest path. This park truly is one of the best if not the best location I have come across so far for Asian tuskers. 

The next day was relatively uneventful, but we did come across another very large tusker with a female. Back at the lodge that night we celebrated our last night in this beautiful park. 

With Wijay our excellent Tracker

The next day morning safari, proved uneventful for our jeep, but our second jeep ended up in Zone A where they came across another tiger sighting. 

Overall it was sad to leave this place, and I hope to return back to this South Indian wideness paradise. 

With Bheemaiya the senior tracker