Two More zones Open at Yala National Park, the Second Largest in Sri Lanka

03rd January 2011, www.island.lk, By Ifham Nizam

The Ministry of Agrarian Services and Wildlife had taken steps to open two more zones at the Ruhuna (Yala National Park) this month to give a further boost to tourism.

Minister S. M. Chandrasena told The Island that the Zone 2 and 3 would be opened this month.

He said a strategy would be worked out to prevent disasters resulting from man-elephant encounters. "I see this conflict as one between farmers and elephants. Elephants suffer due to their habitat loss while farmers lose economically owing to damage caused by wild elephants."

In Yala, the Minister said, only the Zone 1 located 300 km south of Colombo, had been opened for the public in the past due to terrorist threats that prevailed at that time.

But, the entire park was now open to visitors, he said.

Yala, situated in the southeast region of the country in the Southern Province and Uva Province, is the second largest national park in Sri Lanka.