Elephants, turtles and safaris: watching wildlife responsibly, the back story

About Elephants, turtles and safaris: watching wildlife responsibly, the back story

By the ULTIMATE Sri Lanka Editorial Team

Few islands offer so much wildlife: Asian elephants, leopards, sloth bears, crocodiles, birds by the hundred and, offshore, blue whales.

National parks

The Department of Wildlife Conservation manages the national parks. Yala is known for leopards, Udawalawe and Minneriya for elephants; jeeps with registered drivers and park trackers take visitors on safaris.

Elephant centres

Several centres keep captive elephants, among them the Millennium Elephant Foundation near Kegalle, which describes itself as supporting elephant conservation. Animal-welfare organisations debate whether visitors should ride, bathe or handle captive elephants. We do not recommend riding or handling, and suggest seeing elephants in the national parks, or at Udawalawe’s Elephant Transit Home, where orphaned calves are fed at set times and returned to the wild.

The best wildlife encounter is the one where the animal decides how close to come.

Turtle hatcheries

Along the west coast, especially at Kosgoda, hatcheries collect turtle eggs and release the hatchlings. Practices vary and conservationists debate their benefits; look for places that release hatchlings promptly and do not keep adult turtles in tanks.

Whales

From about November to April, boats from Mirissa head out to look for blue whales and dolphins. Choose operators that follow the official watching guidelines and keep their distance.

Our advice: see wildlife in its own habitat, go with licensed guides, keep your distance and your voice down, and never feed wild animals.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Elephants, turtles and safaris: watching wildlife responsibly, the back story before you go.