A magical spectacle at Minneriya

by Nilma DOLE

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a lone elephant stripping a bark to taste the sweet sap inside. Noticing us at a distance, he didn't do much just bat an eyelid to show that he was quite used to human interference.

Minneriya National Park, the location of the famous `Elephant Gathering' is the world's only wildlife spectacle for the highest concentration of Asian elephants over a few square kilometres, according to the IUCN Elephant Specialist Group.

Getting at an arm's length of a wild elephant is definitely a memorable experience as long as you know your boundaries. Our DWLC (Department of Wildlife Conservation) guide Herath said, "You should be careful when stepping on a wild elephant's territory as they can be intimidated but as long as you show that you don't threaten them, then you can watch in peace".

The peak season for watching the Minneriya Elephant gathering is August and September where the gathering brings upto 400 elephants who bathe, feed and socialize together. In times of the north-east monsoon, the Minneriya Tank overflows with water but during the dry season, elephants have to make their way out of the jungle to the little water lake that makes the Tank.

Built by King Mahasen in the 3rd century AD, Minneriya Tank was set up to irrigate low lands for farming and today, it is a haven for elephants as far away as Wasgamuwa and Trincomalee to meet and greet.

Venturing to the open grassy marsh plains to see the elephants, there were wildlife wonders encompassing beautiful peacocks, spotted deer, grey langur monkeys, water buffalo and a naughty jackal. Other mammals found in the park include sambar, spotted deer, sloth bears and leopards (although the last two are very rarely sighted) and there's also a great chance of seeing macaque and purple-faced langur monkeys. In addition to that, there are around 160 species of birds including endemics like the Sri Lanka hanging parrot and the crimson-fronted barbat.

The flipside is that illegal fishing is rampant in the park as we witnessed fishermen taking their boats to the depths of the tank obviously trying to get the biggest catch.

It is obvious that there are human-elephant conflict (HEC) cases in the area but people have learned to share the land with the animals. Minneriya is one of the only national parks that allows free movement of elephants on the road as there are no electric fences to guard the road and there are signs that warn drivers to be wary of crossing elephants.

The magical world at Minneriya was an incredible experience, giving us pleasant memories of the majestic elephants in their natural habitat.