Episode 10 – Kumana National Park

Tales from the past

 I was first appointed to the post of Ranger in the Department of Wildlife Conservation in 1981. First, I had to work at ‘Wilpatthu National Park’ and thereafter, on the 1^st of February 1983, I assumed duties at ‘Kumana National Park’. At the time, it was known as ‘Yala Eastern National Park’ or ‘Hokanda National Park’. It was very demanding work, my home was in Galle and the bus, which came to ‘Okanda Devalaya’,ran only on Fridays. For the rest of the week, I walked 12 miles to ‘Hokanda National Centre’ from ‘Panama’. This was my life for two years, till 1985.

To claim that 1985 was a tumultuous period in Sri Lanka would be an understatement. The country was still embroiled in a brutal civil war with the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), and tensions were at an all-time high. After LTTE militants attacked Hokanda National Park on the 3^rd of March, we were transferred to ‘Yala National Park’, where we would spend the following three years.

At the beginning of 1988, we came to know that local fishermen had squatted in Hokanda National Park and had set up illegal shanties beside the river. They have cleared the area of Mangroves and had taken to the lagoons to expand their fishing. Hokanda Park always held a special place in our hearts, and we felt quite hamstrung in our inability to intervene as our beloved park was being ravaged. Adding fuel to the fire of the political landscape of 80’s Sri Lanka was the threat of a radical, violent civilian uprising in addition to the ongoing civil war. Some radicals even broke into an office belonging to the Yala National Park and looted any valuables they could find, and the collective morale of all who care for the beloved park suffered a stinging blow. Over time, the deplorable situation deteriorated further and further, until the time came when the officers decided that we have had enough, and it was finally time to go on the offensive. So, we requested the Warden of Yala National Park, Mr. Edmond, permission to observe any suspicious activity and conduct a raid in Hokanda Park. Our request was granted.

We set out the next morning, at around 5.00 am from the ‘Palatupana’ head office on a tractor. Our team consisted of three Rangers, Manika, Gunadasa and I along with Assistant Ranger R.P. Karunasena. The other members were Sarath Indrapala, W. Rupasinghe, S.M. Anura Bandara, Nalaka Weerathunga, Somarathna Hettigoda, Premarathna Manamperi, Sepala Manamperi, and K. Karunasena. We crossed the ‘Manik’ river clearing any obstacles on the road, but when we were near ‘Gajabawa’ one of the front tires got punctured. We were left with no choice but to continue our mission on foot.

We walked a few miles, helping ourselves to the occasional fallen wood apple along the way. When we reached an area called ‘Madamthota’, we found it completely abandoned. The crudely constructed shacks were devoid of any inhabitants. After we had further travelled along the road for about three kilometers, we heard a noise, the distinctive sound of hammering iron. We followed the noise to find three people mining for gems, which is strictly illegal in this protected area. We arrested the miners and restrained them by tying their hands in the back, but now, we were left with no alternative but to take our new ‘friends’ along with us.

We walked eight more kilometers down the road adjoining the river till we reached the ‘Galwangedi’ area. We heard noises and followed the sound to find six men lunching in two shoddy huts. As before, we announced ourselves, restrained them and placed them under arrest. But now, our company was getting too big, and this is far more likely to attract unwanted attention. We decided to leave two of our own to keep an eye on the detained suspects and started off on our journey again. Not long after, we spotted several men on the road on bicycles carrying luggage. We did as we have done before, we announced ourselves and managed to arrest eleven men and confiscate materials in their person, despite a few being able to flee the scene.

And again, we set off to finish the task at hand. A while later, I noticed a man standing on the rocks in the middle of the river with a gun aimed at the direction of the treetops. He was in the middle of hunting Torque monkeys. None of us carried firearms in our person, the people who we were able to arrest were only intimidated by the authority that came along with being designated Rangers. If they had put up a fight and resisted arrest, well…things would very well have gone differently. To avoid getting shot, we realized it was of grave importance that we do not draw attention to ourselves by barging in and provoke the hunter into firing his weapon, and instead, opted to hide and wait for the unwitting hunter to come to us. We took our positions and hid until the unsuspecting hunter was surrounded. I went for his legs while the rest of the team were able to jump on and subdue him. After the hard part was over and done with, we added the restrained hunter to our new group of ‘no-do-wells’ and took off once more.

Along the way, a few kilometers out, we crossed into another clearing with a couple of huts, an oxen pulled cart, and four people. We adhered to the familiar protocol and added the new arrestees into our group of detainees and confiscated all belongings along with the cart and the oxen. Finally, around 3.00 pm, it was time to head back, and after we regrouped and made the long walk back to the tractor, the sun had already set, and twilight was giving way to the creeping night. We were momentarily startled by the sound of a helicopter passing overhead, but the rest of the journey back was largely uneventful and without hassle.

Looking back, I still breathe a sigh of relief to this day for our mission to have been completed without any of us suffering grievous injuries or God forbid, having the misfortune to cross paths with the LTTE, during a period in which civil unrest in the region and the dangers that accompanied it rose to devastating highs. I find myself slightly amused with one interesting little anecdote though, this remains the first and only recorded incident in which the Department of Wildlife Conservation had taken under its custody, an oxen cart!

This story serves asa brief telling in highlighting the exemplary courage and unparalleled dedication of the people who devote their lives to the care of our beloved wildlife parks.