The Yala National Park, a major asset for the country, in a drive to make the tourism industry as a leading foreign exchange earner, is in an appalling state due to mismanagement and corruption by officers and jeep operators of the Park.
Estimates by Sri Lanka Tourism reveals that earnings from the sale of tickets is over Rs. 600 million from around 660,000 local and foreign visitors who pass through the gate each year.
However, the pathetic story here is that the tourists, especially, foreigners are taken on a joy ride by safari jeep operators who take short cuts to save time and fuel, and thereby earn a fast buck by increasing the number of trips a day.
The tickets are priced at Rs. 60 (for adults) Rs. 30 (for children below 12) local and USD 15 for foreigners which comes to around Rs. 2,300. This amount charged from foreign visitors is by no means justifiable as they are treated shabbily for the following reasons:
The entrance to the Park lacks rest rooms, sanitary facilities or at least a place to purchase a bottle of water. The absence of officers at ticket issuing counters who could converse properly in English with foreign nationals. Trackers who are mandated by duty to accompany visitors are few in number As a result, a tracker has to accompany three to four jeeps at the same time. It is mandatory that every jeep should be accompanied by a tracker. A fact concealed here is that trackers are reluctant to accompany visitors unless they are offered tips. Jeep operators with unaccompanied trackers take short cuts to save time for more visits. Jeep operators lack adequate knowledge on the species, fauna and flora and lack fluency to converse in English with visitors of other nationalities. From the conservation point of view, a large number of safari jeeps touring the Park at the same time is a disturbance to animals who need to cross sections in their search for water. This is a hindrance, especially, during the long spell of drought, particularly, during this time of the year.
Wildlife Conservation Department Director General, M.G.C Suriyabandara said, a report has been prepared and is being presented to the Prime Minister stating the measures recommended by all stakeholders of the tourism industry to improve the management of the Yala Wildlife Park. He said, the report consists of measures to manage jeep drivers, routes in parks, registration of jeep owners, awareness programs for visitors, rules on opening hours and maintenance of bungalows.
A one way traffic plan to reduce congestion and minimize disturbance to animals, and selection of blocs to divert traffic are some of the measures proposed in the plan for the Yala National Park. The Park will be closed from September 1 to October31 for renovation and improvement. The Park is closed every year to provide rest for animals, time for breeding, and to carry out renovations of roads and buildings.
Bloc one and two which is mostly used for visits will be closed during the period while bloc three, four and five will be open to the public.
Safari jeep owners said, they use this time to repair their vehicles while engaging in other occupations.
“There is room to improve the pumping of water to the tanks in the Park during the dry seasons. Many of the tanks run dry fast due to the scorching heat. Water should be pumped sufficiently, using pumps rather than filling tanks using bowsers which is not successful,” jeep operators said.
However, the spokesman for the Wildlife Conservation Department said, steps will be taken to check irregularities and penailse those who violate regulations. The average number of travellers per jeep is six. It was estimated that around 658,000 visited the Park with around 105, 300 jeep hires in 2016, according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.