Nature’s wild life refuge | Daily News

Nature’s wild life refuge

Juliet Coombe discovers the ethereal beauty of Anawilundawa International Wetlands, where even the tortoises are stars in this wetlands paradise of interconnecting tanks created by the ancient rulers of Sri Lanka. 

Nowhere is more teaming with life than the ancient man made tanks of Sri Lanka and in the rainy season what starts off as a wildlife exploration quickly turns into an intrepid adventure. Mud spurted out in all directions as our vehicle wheels spun around and dug deeper into the mud while a curious monkey swung over to see what all the noise and commotion was about. Looking around this stunning 12th century hand-built tank with its ethereal landscapes that look just like monsters in the darkness, I was amazed, as the light started to flicker through the trees across the water, just how beautiful this protected wetland, jungle is; even stuck miles from anywhere in a lot of mud. Looking back on the adventure, I could not think of a better place to break down than in Anawilundawa International Ramsar Wetland, near Chilaw and a lifetime away from urban living.

A chorus of birds filled the air with their whimsical music, heralding the imminent tropical sun rise, and only the harsh mating calls of a couple of peacocks broke the orchestra of wonderful sounds. I learn how both indigenous and migratory birds have been using the ancient system of human-made cascading tanks for over a thousand years to catch fish, insects and even, in one case, a small frog. I am informed by my excellent Jetwing Ayurveda Pavilions guide, as I carry rocks to further bulk up the back of the wheels, that the tanks range between 12 and 50 hectares each, dating back to the 12th century, when the King of Sri Lanka wanted to make the island totally self sustaining.

As the dawn rose, monkeys started to appear in troops, playing and chattering away, as we piled up more stones and wood under the wheels to give the vehicle something to grip on, and, as the sky turned an array of colours, a star tortoise ambled across the road to go for a drink in the tank, stopping to look at us nonchalantly before popping his head back into his pretty shell. As hawks circled, I was glad we finally, at full throttle, managed to release ourselves from the bank and head further into the reserve on a sturdier pathway.

Birds flew over us in formation patterns and as I took pictures, I was quietly thrilled we were on the move again, as I thought, looking back at how far we were dug in, that, at one point, the stunning Star Tortoise had more chance of reaching Negombo than we did. The clever builders of these manmade water holes saw the redirection of the river into linked tanks, as the perfect way for paddy cultivation to develop across the country in the12th century. The King’s aim, it seems, was to make manmade lakes everywhere in the country, as he wanted to develop the paddy cultivation to such a level that they could trade it and eventually become the breadbasket of Asia. The incredible thing is that they still work to this day irrigating the area.

Ramsar is part of six conservation protection schemes in Sri Lanka and Anawilundawa is made up of 1,397 hectares of incredible wetlands between the coastline and Negombo. One theory about the area and its name is that it is a Tamil word as there was also a Tamil King involved in the development of agriculture. ‘Ana’, interestingly, means elephant in Tamil, and ‘Wilma’ means marsh area, and legend has it that an elephant was trapped in the marsh. However, most of the villagers say this is nonsense and it is just because the trees and plants around the tanks look like marsh elephants, which, on closer inspection, I could see how some tree configurations did indeed look just like bachelor elephants stuck for all time.

Being in the middle of a conservation area, bird watching or, in some cases, meditating before dawn, to pick up the sacred vibrations of this ancient woodland, is a wonderful experience and to see night turn into day is an unforgettable one. This wetland, I am told, consists of six large manmade tanks and three smaller tanks interconnected to create a complex irrigation system. The larger tanks are: Pinkattiya, Maradansola, Anawilundawa, Mayyawa, Surawila and Vellawali. Today the natural waterways, which fed this system, are lost without a trace and these tanks are filled by flood waters of the Deduru Oya brought to the area via the Sengaloya scheme.

Local communities have practiced sustainable traditional farming for over eight hundred years and fishing since ancient times, but the extension of prawn, also known as shrimp, farms in surrounding areas has resulted in mangrove destruction and pollution. The pollution is also caused by the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in nearby coconut plantations, which, in turn, over oxygenate the water and poison some types of fish, and ultimately the whole food chain, which is why education on a nature has never been more important at village and city level.

Stopping from time to time to walk another section of Tank 2, I was amazed by the size of the monitor lizards which could easily be mistaken for crocodiles as they came sliding over the bank looking for food; with their long tongues snapping in an out, they were not in the least bit worried about my presence. For me, meditating here is something very special, as the wildlife seems to be totally at peace with those who visit. Normally, getting close to birds is impossible without a zoom lens, and yet, at Anawilundawa, the animals ignored our loan vehicle. Not being on the tourist list of must-see places makes this something very special and perfect for those people who want a more spiritual experience where they can meditate about life in a National Geographic setting.


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