Kumana National Park
Situated immediately northwest of Yala, Kumana National Park boasts many the same charismatic species, as well as rare species of birds – particularly waterfowl. Although like Yala its vegetation is largely characterized by dense forest and scrub, Kumana is distinct for its vast network of mangroves and marshy swamps, collectively known as the Kumana Wetland cluster. Until 2006, Kumana was known as Yala East National Park.
Avifauna
Almost 50% of Sri Lanka’s bird species may be seen in Kumana, but it is in the wetlands that they are especially prolific, particilarly in May and June, where the mangroves become a nesting site for multitudes of waterfowl. Pelicans, storks, cormorants, darters, grebes and several species of heron can be seen here, in addition to several other species. But it is not just birds that the wetlands support; three species of turtle – green, loggerhead and Olive Ridley – also nest in this area. Populations of mugger crocodile and fishing cat are supported by the wetlands as well.
Human habitation and cultural sites
As a 2000-year-old irrigation civilization is believed to have existed in the area, Kumana is studded with several ancient cultural sites. Among these are a nine-meter statue of a reclining Buddha near Bambaragastalawa, with other Buddhist monastic sites found at Bowattagala and Kudumbigala, which is still inhabited by a monk.
The ancient race of Sri Lankan pygmies – the Nittaewoo – are understood to have ranged in this area. Much more recently, however, the southeast corner of the park was the site of Kumana Village. The village is believed to have been founded in 1818 by refugees of British violence in the hill country who had fled south, and followed the KumbukkanOyariver to the ocean. Although the village was evacuated in the early 1990s when the park was caught up in Sri Lanka’s civil war, remnant of this village can still be seen; the copse of village coconut trees that rise high above the jungle canopy can be spotted from miles around.
Lenama leopards
A particularly large and ferocious breed of leopards – almost mythical in the fearsome stories they inspire, are reputed to roam an area close to the western edge of the park. According to local Buddhist monk Ven. Anandasiri Thera, a lenama leopard never flees when it encounters a human.