The Wes
T
No
RTH
o
F C
o
Lom
B
o
The Wes
T
INF
o
R
m
A
TI
o
N
The Wes
T
W
ILP
ATTU
N
A
TI
o
N
AL
P
A
RK
It’s essential to book in advance – not only
do they not accept walk-ins, but the camp
itself may not even be set up.8 Information
Wilpattu National Park & Safaris (adult /
child US$15/8, service charge per group US$8,
jeep entry Rs 250, vAT 12%; h6am-6.30pm,
last entry 4.30pm) Jeeps can be organised for
a safari from beside the park entrance gate
and ticket office, but most people organise
transport through their accommodation. This
also saves you having to get to the park first!The going rate for a decent jeep is Rs 5000 for
about a half-day.8 Getting There & Away
The turnoff to the park on the Puttalam–
Anuradhapura road (A12) is 26km northeast of
Puttalam and 20km southwest of Anuradhapu-
ra. From here it’s a further 8km to the park
entrance at the barely discernible village of
Hunuwilagama.
The nearest main village and site of most
accommodation is Saliyawewa. Buses run from
here to Puttalam (Rs 80 to 100) and from there
to Negombo (Rs 150).HATCHING TURTLES
Five species of sea turtles lay eggs along the coast of Sri Lanka. The green turtle is the
most common, followed by the olive ridley and the hawksbill. The leatherback and logger-
head are both huge, reaching 2m or more in length. During what should be long lives (if
they don’t end up in a net or soup pot), female turtles make numerous visits to the south
coast to lay eggs in the sand of the same beach where they themselves were born. A few
weeks later, hundreds of baby turtles make a perilous journey back to the water.
Most of the tiny turtles are quickly gobbled up by birds, fish, people and other critters
with gullets. And many never hatch at all, since human egg-poachers work overtime to sat-
isfy the demand for turtle omelettes. However, the turtle hatcheries on the coast around
Bentota and Kosgoda claim to increase the odds for the turtles by paying locals for the
eggs at a rate slightly above that which they would fetch on the market. The eggs are then
incubated by the hatchery. After a short stay in a tank (supposedly for protection against
parasites, although many biologists say these tanks actually increase disease and parasite
infection), the babies are released under the cover of darkness (in the wild, the babies also
emerge at night).
The reality of the situation is that the turtle hatcheries might be doing more damage
than good. When a baby turtle hatches it retains a part of the yolk from the egg, which acts
as a vital energy source when the turtles first swim out to sea. By keeping the babies for
even a very short time in a tank, they do not gain the benefit of this first food source. In ad-
dition, mature female turtles like to return to the beach where they hatched in order to lay
their own eggs: if they have been born in captivity, they will not have obtained a ‘magnetic
imprint’ of their beach of birth and thus they are thought to be unable to return to shore to
lay their eggs. For a truly sustainable turtle conservation effort, it’s better that the eggs are
simply left on the beach where they were laid and given protection there. For more on this
see http://www.srilankaecotourism.com/turtle_hatchery_threat.htm.
Although the conservation benefits of the hatcheries are limited, there’s no denying that
the turtles are awfully cute and make for an entertaining visit. Visits rarely last more than
about 20 minutes. Expect to see babies, as well as adults, who have been injured by nets or
in other calamities. Many environmental groups recommend you do not visit the hatcher-
ies around Bentota area.
Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Project (%091-226 4567; admission Rs 500;
h8.30am-6pm) On the beach side of Galle Rd, just north of Kosgoda, this volunteer-run
operation has been here for 18 years. It’s a very simple affair.
Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery (%091-225 8667; admission Rs 500; h8am-7pm) Turn down a
small track on the A2 at the 73 Km marker to find this operation, located in a quiet spot
right on the beach. Arrive at 6.30pm and you can help release the day’s hatchlings into
the ocean.
Sea Turtle Project (%034-227 1062; http://www.seaturtleszone.com; Induwara; admission Rs 500;
h6am-6.30pm) This facility feels more commercial than the Kosgoda operations.