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Rules flouted at Yala National Park
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Story and pix by Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi
Many Safari Jeep drivers operating inside the Yala National Park are openly flouting regulations put in place by authorities to ensure the safety of animals and tourists.
Drivers, eager to please tourists, increasingly engage in rec klesss behaviour that not only harass the animals, but also putting the lives of tourists at risk.
We observed several such incidents including driving vehicles at high speed, taking the jeeps off designated pathways, climbing atop vehicles and the obstruction of animals.
Authorities imposed strict regulations, including speed limits on vehicles inside the sanctuary after a leopard was killed by a speeding vehicle on August 28. 2015.
However recently many safari jeep drivers, have been flouting the regulations.
While less than 125 safari jeeps were in operation during the war years, today over 700 jeeps operate in the same area.
The lack of a proper mechanism to regulate the entry of jeeps entering the reservation has created further problems, including traffic jams, inside the park.
Officials also say most jeeps operate in only one section of the park despite the park being divided into five sections.
Director General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), W.H.D. Pathirathna said there were plans to divide the Yala forest into three separate sections and restrict entry of vehicles to only one section. He added however, this would take time as it required a large investment.
In the meantime, authorities have stepped up patrols inside the park to locate and ban jeeps which flout park regulations.
This tusker was surrounded by jeeps blocking its path and putting the lives of tourists at risk
In a dangerous manoeuvre this jeep drove alongside an elephant
Many jeeps go off designated pathways to give tourists a better view of the animals