Lahugala Kitulana National Park is one of the smallest national parks in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

. Despite its land area, the park is an important habitat for Sri Lankan Elephant

Sri Lankan Elephant

The Sri Lankan Elephant is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian Elephant, and native to Sri Lanka. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years...

 and endemic birds of Sri Lanka. The national park contains the reservoirs of Lahugala, Kitulana and Sengamuwa and they are ultimately empties to Heda Oya river. Originally it was designated as a wildlife sanctuary

Wildlife refuge

A wildlife refuge, also called a wildlife sanctuary, may be a naturally occurring sanctuary, such as an island, that provides protection for species from hunting, predation or competition, or it may refer to a protected area, a geographic territory within which wildlife is protected...

 on July 1 of 1966. Then the protected area was upgraded to a national park on October 31 of 1980. Lahugala Kitulana is situated 318 km east of Colombo

Colombo

Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...

.

Physical features

Mean annual rainfall of the area is about 1650 millimetres (65 in). North east monsoon persist during the months November to December. Two dry periods last from May to October and January to March. The terrain of the park is flat with occasional rocky outcrops.

Cultural importance

Nearby Magulmahavihara is supposed to built for the occasion of the marriage of King Kavan Tissa to Prince Viharamahadevi. Later the Vihara believed to be offered to the Sangha

Sangha

Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose...

 community.

Flora

The national park's vegetation is classified into Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests

Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests

The Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of the island of Sri Lanka. The ecoregion covers an area of , which includes most of the island of Sri Lanka, with the exception of the islands' southwestern corner and central highlands, home to the Sri...

. Dominant grass species Sacciolepis interrupta is a main food source for elephants. Common floral species of the park include Drypetes sepiaria, Manilkara hexandra

Manilkara hexandra

Manilkara hexandra is a species in the tribe Sapoteae, in the Sapotaceae family that is native to much of south Asia Manilkara hexandra is a species in the tribe Sapoteae, in the Sapotaceae family that is native to much of south Asia Manilkara hexandra is a species in the tribe Sapoteae, in the...

, Berrya cordifolia

Berrya cordifolia

Berrya cordifolia is a species of tree native to much of Southeast Asia and introduced to Africa. It occurs in the forests of Christmas Island....

, Vitex pinnata

Vitex pinnata

-General Description:Trees up 2-15 meter tall; up to 40 cm in diameter . Bark fissured, flaky, pale yellowish grey to brown; inner bark pale yellow becoming green on exposure; sapwood soft yellow to brown. Leaves 3- or 5-foliolate...

, Chloroxylon swietenia, Golden Shower Tree.

Fauna

This national park is used by elephants traditionally as a feeding ground. A herd of 150 individuals is attracted by Sacciolepis interrupta grass which is common around the Lahugala tank. Endemic Toque Macaque

Toque Macaque

The toque macaque is a reddish-brown coloured Old World monkey endemic to both Sri Lanka, where it is locally known as the 'Rilewa' or 'Rilawa'...

, Tufted Gray Langur

Tufted Gray Langur

The tufted gray langur is an Old World monkey, one of the species of langurs. This, like other gray langurs, is a leaf-eating monkey. It is found in southeast India and Sri Lanka. It is one of several Semnopithecus species named after characters from The Iliad, along with Semnopithecus hector...

, Sloth Bear

Sloth Bear

The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...

, Golden Jackal

Golden Jackal

The golden jackal , also known as the common jackal, Asiatic jackal, thos or gold-wolf is a Canid of the genus Canis indigenous to north and northeastern Africa, southeastern and central Europe , Asia Minor, the Middle East and southeast Asia...

, Rusty-spotted Cat

Rusty-spotted Cat

The Rusty-spotted Cat is the cat family's smallest member and found only in India and Sri Lanka. It has been listed as Vulnerable by IUCN in 2002 as the total effective population size is below 10,000 mature individuals, with a declining trend due to habitat loss, and no subpopulation containing...

, Fishing Cat

Fishing Cat

The Fishing Cat is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. In 2008, the IUCN classified the fishing cat as endangered since they are concentrated primarily in wetland habitats, which are increasingly being settled, degraded and converted...

, Sri Lanka Leopard

Sri Lanka Leopard

The Sri Lankan leopard , colloquially known as Kotiya in Sinhala and Puli in Tamil, is a subspecies of leopard native to Sri Lanka...

, Wild boar, Indian Muntjac

Indian Muntjac

The Common Muntjac , also called the Red Muntjac, Indian Muntjac or Barking deer is the most numerous muntjac deer species. It has soft, short, brownish or greyish hair, sometimes with creamy markings. This species is omnivorous, feeding on fruits, shoots, seeds, birds' eggs as well as small...

, Sri Lankan Axis Deer

Sri lankan axis deer

The Sri Lankan axis deer or Ceylon Spotted Deer is a subspecies of axis deer that inhabits only Sri Lanka. The name chital is not used in Sri Lanka...

, Sri Lankan Sambar Deer

Sri lankan Sambar Deer

Sri Lankan Sambar Deer is a sub-species of Sambar Deer that lives in Sri Lanka. This subspecies is one of the largest Sambar Deer species with the largest antlers both in size and in body proportions. Large males weight up to 270-280 kg. Sri Lankan Sambar occurs in lowland dry forest, montane forest...

, Indian Pangolin

Indian Pangolin

The Indian Pangolin or ”Scaly Ant-eater” is a pangolin that is found in the plains and hills of India, Sri Lanka,Nepal and some parts of Pakistan. It is not common anywhere in its range....

 and Indian Hare

Indian Hare

The Indian Hare , also known as the Black-naped Hare, is a common species of hare found in South Asia. and in java....

 are the other mammals found in the park.

Many wetland birds found in Lahugala Kitulana include Great White Pelican, Purple Heron

Purple Heron

The Purple Heron is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The European populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa; the more northerly Asian populations also migrate further south within Asia...

, Painted Stork

Painted Stork

The Painted Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in South Asia and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers give them their name. They forage in flocks in shallow waters...

, Lesser Adjutant

Lesser Adjutant

The Lesser Adjutant, Leptoptilos javanicus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is resident breeder in southern Asia from India east to southern China and Java....

, Anas

Anas

Anas is a genus of dabbling ducks. It includes mallards, wigeons, teals, pintails and shovelers in a number of subgenera. Some authorities prefer to elevate the subgenera to genus rank...

spp., White-bellied Sea Eagle

White-bellied Sea Eagle

The White-bellied Sea Eagle , also known as the White-breasted Sea Eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related to Sanford's Sea Eagle of the Solomon Islands, and the two are considered a superspecies...

, Grey-headed Fish Eagle

Grey-headed Fish Eagle

The Grey-headed Fish Eagle is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae.Grey-headed Fish Eagle breeds in southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to Southeast asia...

, Common Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher

Stork-billed Kingfisher

The Stork-billed Kingfisher, Pelargopsis capensis , is a tree kingfisher which is widely but sparsely distributed in the tropical Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia. This kingfisher is essentially resident throughout its range.This is a very large...

, White-throated Kingfisher

White-throated Kingfisher

The White-throated Kingfisher also known as the White-breasted Kingfisher or Smyrna Kingfisher, is a tree kingfisher, widely distributed in Eurasia from Bulgaria, Turkey, east through South Asia to the Philippines. This kingfisher is a resident over much of its range, although some populations...

. Spot-billed Pelican

Spot-billed Pelican

The Spot-billed Pelican or Grey Pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Pakistan across India east to Indonesia. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes...

, Asian Openbill and Woolly-necked Stork

Woolly-necked Stork

The Woolly-necked Stork or White necked stork , Ciconia episcopus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It can also be known as the Espiscopos....

  are also recorded visiting the wetland. Last recorded sighting of Knob-billed Duck, now thought be extinct in Sri Lanka, occurred in here. Red-faced Malkoha

Red-faced Malkoha

The Red-faced Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus, is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. This Malkoha species is endemic to Sri Lanka-Description:...

 and Sri Lanka Spurfowl

Sri Lanka Spurfowl

The Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Galloperdix bicalcarata, is a member of the pheasant family which is endemic to the dense rainforests of Sri Lanka....

 are two endemic birds that reside in the park.

Endemic Bufo atukoralei

Bufo atukoralei

The Yala Toad is a species of toad in the Bufonidae family. It is also known as Atukorale's Dwarf Toad.It is endemic to Sri Lanka....

, Fejervarya limnocharis

Fejervarya limnocharis

The Cricket Frog is a species of frog found widely distributed in South Asia. Molecular studies of the species complex suggest that there may be multiple species involved.-Description:...

, Polypedates maculatus

Polypedates maculatus

The Common Indian Tree Frog or Chunam Tree Frog is a common species of tree frog found in South Asia. It was described by John Edward Gray in 1830....

, Banded bull frog, and Microhyla rubra

Microhyla rubra

Microhyla rubra is a species of narrow-mouthed frog found in India.-Description:Habit stout. Snout rounded, a little shorter than the diameter of the orbit ; interorbital space broader than the upper eyelid...

are among the amphibians of the national park. Python molurus, Rat snake

Rat snake

Rat snakes are medium to large constrictors that can be found through a great portion of the northern hemisphere. They feed primarily on rodents and birds and, with some species exceeding 3 m , they can occupy top levels of some food chains. Many species make attractive and docile pets and one,...

, Chrysopelea

Chrysopelea

Chrysopelea, or more commonly known as the flying snake, is a genus that belongs to the family Colubridae. Flying snakes are mildly venomous, though they are considered harmless because their toxicity is not dangerous to humans...

spp. Boiga

Boiga

Boiga is a large genus of mildly venomous, rear-fanged, colubrid snakes typically known as the cat-eyed snakes or just cat snakes. They are primarily found throughout southeast Asia, India and Australia, but due to their extremely hardy nature and adaptability have spread to many other suitable...

spp., Dryophis spp., and Russell's viper

Daboia

Daboia is a monotypic genus of venomous Old World viper. The single species, D. russelii, is found in Asia throughout the Indian subcontinent, much of Southeast Asia, southern China and Taiwan...

 are among the notable reptiles. Melanochelys trijuga

Melanochelys trijuga

Indian black turtle or Indian pond terrapin is a species of turtle found in South Asia.-Distribution:N Bangladesh, C Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Chagos Islands and Nepal....

and Lissemys punctata

Lissemys punctata

Indian flapshell turtle is a fresh water species of turtle found in South Asia. The “Flap-shelled” name stems from the presence of femoral flaps that are located on the plastron. These flaps of skin serve the purpose of covering the limbs when they retract into the shell. It is unclear what...

are two freshwater turtles that inhabit in the tank of Lahugala. Endemic fish species Clarias brachysoma is also dwell in the tank.

Conservation

The Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society is initiated a project to establish an electric fence

Electric fence

An electric fence is a barrier that uses electric shocks to deter animals or people from crossing a boundary. The voltage of the shock may have effects ranging from uncomfortable, to painful or even lethal...

 to protect four villages adjacent to the southern boundary of the park. Poaching

Poaching

Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...

, logging

Logging

Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...

, fuelwood collection, grazing

Grazing

Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...

 are the prominent threats to the park. Development of lower Uva basin is a potential threat to the park as it would increase the cultivated area in turn it would isolate park and its elephant herd. A jungle corridor

Wildlife corridor

A wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities . This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that often occur within...

 is being proposed to link the park with Gal Oya

Gal Oya National Park

Gal Oya National Park in Sri Lanka was established in 1954 and serves as the main catchment area for Senanayake Samudraya, the largest reservoir in Sri Lanka. Senanayake Samudraya was built under the Gal Oya development project by damming the Gal Oya at Inginiyagala in 1950. An important feature of...

 and Kumana

Kumana National Park

Kumana National Park in Sri Lanka is renowned for its avifauna, particularly its large flocks of migratory waterfowl and wading birds. The park is southeast of Colombo on Sri Lanka's southeastern coast. Kumana is contiguous with Yala National Park...

 National Parks. Environmentalists

Environmentalism

Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...

protested against a proposed canal which would have run within the park. They pointed that it is unlawful to allow the construction not just within the park but beyond one kilometre from the park as well.