Wilpattu National Park
One of the main
national parks situated in
the North Central Province
is the Wilpattu
National Park. The Park
which was closed for several
years owing to the
North-East war is now
opened to the public and
tourists. Wilpattu is the
biggest national park in
Sri Lanka covering
around 500 sq. miles.
Around thirty sand rimmed
freshwater lakes
surrounded by grass and
high forest are where the
animals and birds are
best seen.
Wilpattu is the largest and one of the oldest National Parks in Sri Lanka. Wilpattu is among the top national parks world-renowned for its leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) population. A remote camera survey was conducted in Wilpattu from July to October 2015 by the Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust. A sample of forty nine individual leopards were photo-captured in the surveyed area and the core area density was between that of Yala National Park's Block I and Horton Plains National Park.
There are many Villu (small type of lakes) and lakes at Wilpattu. This is identified as the main topographical feature of the park. They are often flat and basin like while containing purely rain water. Wilpattu national park is the oldest and perhaps the most important protected area in Sri Lanka. It's fauna and flora are representative of the dry lowland zone. It is unfortunate that many species living in the park are threatened species.
Sources: https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=Wilpattu%20National%20Park
http://www.wilpattunationalpark.com/
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