Expanding and developing Wilpattu National Park, its many attractions

Excerpted from the authorized biography of Thilo Hoffmann by Douglas. B. Ranasinghe

Wilpattu is the largest National Park of Sri Lanka, with extensive parts in both the North Western and North Central Provinces. A large section of the present Park was established as a Game Sanctuary in 1909, and became the Wilpattu National Park in 1938.

Along its periphery were several Intermediate Zones and Sanctuaries, with a lower status of protection. By the mid 1960s Thilo strongly held the view that these were outdated and had to be incorporated into the respective National Parks, if they were not to be lost as conservation areas. Though they were effective buffer zones, in the eyes of most people they served only the interests of the small shooting fraternity.

Through the WNPS, as its Secretary, Thilo managed to convince the authorities, and in 1967 most Intermediate Zones, including those of Wilpattu South and Wilpattu East, were incorporated into the adjacent National Parks. Also absorbed into National Parks were most of the protected areas with the status of Sanctuary which bordered on them, as these had allowed free access.

Thilo believed that the large and very important Wilpattu West Sanctuary, bordering the sea on its further side, had to be amalgamated with the Park. During his term as President, the Society took up the idea and steadily agitated for it. The area could not be incorporated at first due to the presence in it of a few privately owned blocks of land, at Pomparippu, Kumburavi, Pallakandel and Vellamundel.

By the competent efforts of the then Director of the Wildlife Department, Mr S. D. Saparamadu, land in exchange was found at Vanativillu which satisfied the owners. (See also p.99.) Thilo’s proposal was thus put into effect. It has been described as one of the most important measures since the establishment of National Reserves.

This permitted the completion of Wilpattu National Park, by the relevant Gazette notification, dated December 9, 1973. Today, the total area of the park is 1,309 square km with a sea frontage of 48 km.

During that decade and the next Thilo proposed the extension of the Park into the sea to include Portugal and Dutch Bays and the Karaitivu Islands. This measure would have protected a valuable marine habitat, as well as the threatened sea animal, the dugong, now practically extinct in Sri Lankan waters.

This entire area has a very fragile ecosystem, which is unable to survive the massive human interference and touristic development which has recently been planned for it. Its protection should be strengthened, not weakened.The best known features of the Park are the villus, which contribute much to its beauty. Forty-four have been identified, of which 27 may be called small lakes. Thilo explains:

“The villus in Wilpattu are very shallow depressions of the land in which surface run-off water collects. Most of them have a natural overflow. For example, these flows are visible between Timbirivila and Borupanvila, and from Kumbukvila to Kokkari Villu. The only villus with no such overflow are Lunuvila and Kokkari, and at Dematavila it occurs only in very wet seasons.

“Rainwater, which when it falls is similar to distilled water, collects from the soil during run-off mineral salts containing calcium, potassium, sodium, etc. and carries the dissolved salts into the villus. During the drought much of the water evaporates. This occurs year after year. In the few villus which have no overflow the water becomes increasingly salty. In the others during the rainy season the surplus water washes out the excess minerals.

“Some time ago a foreign team of researchers wrote a paper on Wilpattu, in which they said that villus are caused by groundwater seepage, and that they are groundwater lakes. This wrong statement has entered the international literature.

“Just near Panikkar Villu there is a 40-foot-deep well, which in 1976 had only a handful of water collected in a depression at its bottom; we used it for drinking and washing during our weekend visits. At the villu there was yet some open water surrounded by deep mud. This shows that the water in the villu has no connection with groundwater. Villus are not more than two feet deep. Their bottoms are covered with a thick layer of soft mud, over an impermeable layer of clay, which prevents percolation in either direction.”

Thilo has a special liking for this Park, which he knows intimately. He was much concerned in 1976 when an unprecedented drought struck it. In consultation with the Wildlife Department the Society worked out an action plan to mitigate the effects. Again, Thilo explains:

“The drought at Wilpattu caused most of the villus to dry out completely. The large Kokkari Villu was reduced to a small pond with a fringe of deep black mud. I realized later that animals, especially sambhur, did not so much die from lack of water but from drinking toxic salt water when only the salty villus Kokkari and Lunuvila still held any water. Other animals died getting stuck in the deep mud which surrounded the drying-out villus.

“During any drought elephants and bears dig their own waterholes, elephants with the help of their trunks and bears by digging with their forepaws. Other animals such as barking and mouse deer, mongooses, etc. make use of these holes. Elephants can dig down to 2-3 feet. Bear dig to 4-5 feet down in sandy soils. But in 1976 the drought was so severe that the water table had gone down well below these levels.

“Therefore, we dug a number of water holes and managed to get water at seven to eight feet in sandy areas, e.g. near Manikapola Uttu. Holes were also dug by us at Dangaha and Etambagaha Uraniyas and at Kina Uttu which had gone dry. Water bowlers were brought up from Colombo and filled at Kala Oya. We then regularly filled oil drums cut in half lengthwise and buried all over the park in the dried-up villus. A. Baur and Co. Ltd contributed generously towards this project. Every Friday evening after work I drove up to Wilpattu and returned to office on Monday mornings. On Saturdays and Sundays we worked hard to provide relief I submitted a written report on each visit.”

Dr C. G. Uragoda in his book Wildlife Conservation in Sri Lanka (1994) writes:

“With the help of bowsers and tractors some 60,000 gallons of water were made available to animals in August, September and early October when fortunately the rain came. ‘The President Mr. Hoffmann personally supervised this major undertaking, spending almost every weekend in the Park.”

An interesting feature was the discovery at two places far apart, Nelum Wila and Mana Wila, of the remnants of many golden palm-civets. They are mainly nocturnal and thus rarely seen; they had been killed by leopards.

Thilo also noted that spotted deer can stand extreme droughts. In the Western sector of the Park these animals were in fine condition despite the total lack of water for weeks and miles around. Obviously they obtained sufficient water from the early morning moisture condensed on grasses and leaves.

During droughts elephants and buffaloes move to permanent sources of water, such as rivers.

Buffaloes were quite numerous in Wilpattu. The existence in Sri Lanka of the true wild buffalo is controversial; most are feral. Farmers in jungle areas would allow their animals to freely roam in the forests and open spaces, where they would mingle and mate with the wild stock.

They had wooden bells tied to their necks so that they could be found again. These were made of hollowed out blocks of the very hard and dark red palu wood (rarely also satin and other hard woods) with clappers of deer horn and the owner’s initials or brand marks carved in them. During the recent lengthy periods of abandonment of the Park the buffaloes of Wilpattu were nearly exterminated.

For decades, peril from man has threatened the Park. An ancient Dutch track, very rarely used, traversed the coastal section of the Wilpattu complex between the rivers Kala Oya in the south and Modaragam Aru in the north. This is an area of special importance. It provides a link to the sea for the rest of the Park, and is the abode of the elephants of Wilpattu.

In 1961 there was a proposal by the Army to rebuild the road. This would have severely affected the entire Wilpattu National Park. As a result of representations made by the Society the proposal was dropped. In 1982 a new wide Army road was built further west from Elavankulam to Mail Villu. The Society protested against it successfully.

The author learnt of the following detail not through Thilo but another person present on the occasion. This is an example of information forgotten or modestly omitted by him: see Chapter XI. The Society’s then President, Dr Ranjen Fernando and Thilo, its last, were called to a meeting of the Defence chiefs by President J. R. Jayewardene. The Army Commander spoke of the desirability of the road.

Thilo believed, then and afterwards, that a coastal road beween Mannar and Puttalam would help the LTTE more than the Army. With the President’s permission he put one question to the General: “Who controls the road between Mannar and Wilpattu?” The answer was: “The LTTE.” Jayewardene immediately ordered that the road through Wilpattu be abandoned.

In March 1985 Thilo and Mae drove to Wilpattu – as often before. When they did this they never neglected to pay homage to God Aiyanar in the customary manner. Mae insisted on it. The Deity’s domain is the northern jungles which are entered on crossing the bridge over the Deduru Oya north of Chilaw. By smashing a coconut at the little shrine here and by placing a freshly broken twig in the fork of a tree the God’s protection is solicited.

On two fateful days they were the only visitors in the Park. The first evening, Thilo saw and photographed on the beach at Karuwalakuda a group of men with fishing boats and nets. The episode is described in the Foreword to this book (page xi).

It was an LTTE killer squad, led by a man called Victor, which had come from Mannar by boat. During the night they moved through the Kala Oya estuary to Elavankulam where they hijacked the early morning bus. Driving through Puttalam the armed group reached Anuradhapura around 6 a.m. There they massacred a large number of civilians including Buddhist monks. They then sped back to Nochchiyagama, and across the Park to Pukulam in its northwestern corner, where around noon the same boats waited to take them back to Mannar, then in Tiger hands.

Within Wilpattu they murdered in cold blood over 20 staff and labourers. Range Assistant H. H. Bandara and Bungalow Keeper Tennakoon were forced to guide them, and both then shot dead on the beach.

The Hoffmanns were staying at the Talawila bungalow. Around lunch time on the second day the news of the massacres and the presence of the Tigers in Wilpattu reached it by radio. The staff and some Park workers there panicked, and pleaded that they should all flee in the Land Rover to Aliyawadiya, on the Kala Oya, many miles south.

After a difficult journey over long-abandoned jungle tracks, which Thilo fortunately knew, via Galge Viharaya and Makalanmaduwa, they reached their goal in the evening. They crossed the river, and found shelter for the night at the Kala Oya Hotel (now no more). A curfew had been declared in the District.

The following morning Thilo went back, now via the main road, to Talawila, to retrieve some overlooked items. At the Hunuwilagama entrance to the Park he had to await the arrival, 24 hours after the events described, of army and police personnel, and then he followed their convoy as far as the centre of the Park.

Mae was convinced that God Aiyanar had protected them.

(To be continued)

During the years that followed, the Park was closed and abandoned. Animals in it were slaughtered, especially buffaloes, wild pig, sambhur and deer. All the visitors’ and staff bungalows were ransacked and largely destroyed by roaming poachers, criminals and timber thieves.