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| Sunday, 02 April 2006 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Turtle conservation gathers momentum The sea turtle conservation project, which was re-started along the Kosgoda coastal belt after the tsunami destroyed most hatcheries, has picked up now and has recorded considerable progress.
Meanwhile, the Department of Wildlife has said that it will launch an extensive turtle conservation campaign which will result in the closure of unauthorised and sub-standard turtle hatcheries which are currently mushrooming along the coastal belt of Sri Lanka. Although only the Turtle Conservation Project is authorised to run turtle hatcheries in the island, a large number of private ventures have taken up conservation as a profitable business venture. Over 100 illegal hatcheries were operating along the southern coastal belt. The Department would soon issue guidelines to hatchery owners on the scientific practices related to turtle hatching. Steps will then be taken to close down the hatcheries which do not adopt these guidelines. Sri Lanka is famous for five kinds of turtles who regularly visit the sandy beaches to nest, in the South Western and South Eastern beaches, from Induruwa to Yala and Kandakuliya in the Puttalam District. These types are the Logger Head, Green, Leather Back, Oliver and Hawks Bill turtles. All these varieties are on the endangered list and conservationists have been working for the last three decades to save them from extinction. A large number of turtles visiting our shores face the threat of being caught; for their flesh as well as for their shells. Turtle shells are used to produce jewellery. Under section 30 of the Fauna and Flora Ordinance, it is an offence to kill, wound, harm or keep a turtle in possession, sell or expose for sale any part of a turtle, or to destroy or take turtle eggs. A world of fun and frolic! by Janani Amarasekara This will gladden the hearts of everyone out there who have been wishing for a Disneyland-like experience; Sri Lanka is finally ready for it! The first ever theme park in Sri Lanka will soon be ready to pamper you all, with its many water-related and other amusement activities.
Junior Coaster, Super Swinger, Pirate Ship, Space Ship, UFO and Happy Express are just a few of the amusement activities lined up at Leisure World at Kaluaggala, Hanwella, while Multi Lane Slide, Lazy River, Octopus, Kiddies Slide Pool and Lake Paddle Boats are some of the water-related activities children can enjoy. The Log Fume Swing Around and the Wave Pool are sure to be hot favourites among the visitors, believes Udeni Perera, General Manager of Leisure World Water Park Private Limited. Imagine enjoying a swim with your family in your very own sea. The giant wave pool will provide this experience for you.
If you've ever floated down a river in a tube, you already have a pretty good idea what the Lazy River is all about. The Log Fume Swing is another attraction the park offers for the entire family. The riders sit in an open log while the water current pushes them along the track. Little ones or the less adventurous can try out the Junior Coaster, Kiddies Slide Pools and Lake-Paddle Boats. Those who dare to go faster can brave Happy Express, Pirate Ship, Octopus, Crazy Cruise and Thunder Cruise. The little kids have their own areas to play. Do not worry about safety, the management has deployed lifeguards to monitor the entire park! Watch out for a rain forest with features similar to the Sinharaja, and many other action-packed activities such as cycling, trekking and an open theatre, when the park commences its second phase expansion. And when you get hungry after all those amazing amusement and water activities, the park has added a restaurant that serves your favourite food and all kinds of drinks. Oh, and maybe you'd be interested to know there are souvenir shops, changing rooms and toilet facilities. The management requests not to pollute this environment-friendly park with glass bottles, polythene and plastics. So make sure you don't take any of these to the park when you visit the place. And don't forget to tell your parents that the park does not permit any liquor! Leisure World will be open from the first week of April, from 9.00 a. m. to 6.00 p. m. Praveena's own little Cookie
Many of you, especially those in their teens, must be fans of Praveena - the lead character in the popular television series named after her. Her role as a loving, caring mother to Prem and also a step-mother, especially to the sweet little girl named 'Cookie' who is visually impaired in the series, must have no doubt pulled at your heart strings. Praveena or Swetha Tivari is not a loving mother only in the movie world - she's just as loving and caring a mother in the real world too and what's more, she has her own real 'Cookie' to take care of... Praveena has also debunked the myth about wicked step-mothers with the love and care she lavishes on her step-children. As you may have read in fairy tales and seen on movies, step-mothers are always "cruel, unkind and harsh." But Praveena has certainly proved this wrong. Laws to curb spitting in public? You may have come across so many people who spit in public places. They may spit on the roadside while walking along the road, or spit out of windows while using public transport, regardless of who may be walking beside the vehicle. While this habit is certainly unpleasant, it is not environmental-friendly either. This might change soon however, as laws might be drawn to introduce spot fines to control such spitting, Healthcare, Nutrition and Uva-Wellassa Development Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said recently at a media conference held at the Health Education Bureau. The Minister hinted at the idea of introducing new laws to curb spitting in public. Although some countries in the region already have such laws in place to control spitting in public places, Sri Lanka has no laws in this regard. You, as children, can however learn not to resort to this kind of ugly
habit from a young age. With or without laws, good habits are easy to
learn and adhere to, and will help you in your future too. |
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