How far would you have to go to see a majestic lion roaming in the wild? If you are a resident of Ridiyagama in the Hambantota District, it’s a mere hop, step and a jump: in fact, you hop into a special bus and a few minutes later jump out of your skin at the first sight of the king of the jungle, barely a few feet from you. That’s right; Africa is now a special park in the backwoods of Sri Lanka’s south.
The Ridiyagama Safari Park must have to be one of Sri Lanka’s best-kept secrets. How else could you describe near desolation at this wildlife wonder that can be reached from Hambantota, Tangalle or Mattala, winding up in the sleepy village of Ridiyagama. There were just a couple of dozen local visitors at the park when we arrived around ten in the morning! The Park’s amiable Chief Curator Padmalal says that the numbers do bolster to a couple of thousand on special holidays. The irony remains that, perhaps, one of the island’s most spectacular attractions is still off the radar with little fanfare. Soon, really soon, Sri Lankans will wake up to the miraculous prospect of an African safari right in their backyard, minus the exorbitant fares that make an African safari just a distant dream. A safari ticket for this wildlife spectacle is Rs.300/- per person and that includes the air-conditioned bus that operates every 20 minutes to all of the 3 Zones. Kudos to the Department of National Zoological Gardens and the State for making a rare spectacle a reality for Sri Lankans across the land.
The first phase with the 35-acre African Lion Zone, 54-acre Sri Lanka Elephant Zone and 80 acres of the World Zone is open to the public with several other zones for international and local inhabitants currently being developed.
While not many may be aware of it, the mostly African contingent of wildlife roams free in the wild. Well, nearly free! Ridiyagama Safari Park is constructed on the lines of the legendary Jurassic Park – the first zone is the 35-acre African Lion Zone with the safari bus first entering the double-gated entry bay where the first gate must close behind the bus before the second gate opens, allowing you to enter the lion’s den – a natural dry zone forest with a giant fence and a secure perimeter around the 500-acre forest.
With Chief Curator Padmalal and our well-spoken guide Chandana on-board the bus to little Africa, we crossed the automated giant gates with adrenalin pumping – bracing for that incredible first moment with the king of the jungle.
Twenty six year-old Sameera was at the wheel, an enthusiastic youth who believes that he is living an adventure not just driving a bus. “I have been at it for a year now but can’t wait to come to work the next day”, he says. The sheer anticipation of what may be around the corner keeps me going. Shouts of exclamation from each set of people, no matter how spares that may be for now, gives him the ultimate satisfaction of a dream job. Shouts of exclamation reverberated the bus as the moment of a life-time popped up around a giant tree. Two big cats were chilling out in the freshness of the morning. Just as the safari bus sneaked into a vantage point barely a few feet from the lions, the mummy of the pride with naughty little ones cantered into the scene so as to greet the friends making a house call.
At just 4 months, these cubs are the first litter of the park, Padmalal waxes eloquent, reminding us that the cute and cuddly demeanor can turn into a violent frenzy, should we leave the safety of the bus. This after all, is the wild. It is the humans, for a change, who are in a moving cage. The big and small cats moved around the bus seemingly oblivious to the presence of the caged visitors. For a good half hour, unfolding right around us was a tantalizing spectacle of a lifetime.
The Curator explains that there is some hunting on their own but the pride is fed and taken care of by the park’s well-trained team of rangers and vets. We could have gazed at the wonderment of the pride of lions but it was time for the human visitors to move on.
We were on cue for the feeding time of the herbivore zone. It is more like a paid vacation for the animals in the zone with 80 acres just for them to roam and live as free as they could ever be while being taken care of with wild comforts. The call of the wild to breakfast reached the roaming inhabitants with speeds that will make a mobile Telco proud. They descended on the food pick up from all directions. The ostrich, zebra, donkey, rain deer, spotted deer, bactrian camels, Arabian orix, lechwe, Indian blue bulls (deer), African cape buffaloes, black barking deer, pickme hipo – all of 22 species created a spectacle worth going to Africa all ours, right at home!
Talking to the keepers Isusru and Chaminda for their experience with these wild animals showed their intimate relationship with the wild. “The animals don’t harm us even though they are wild. But their wild natural instincts must be respected especially their swinging moods. Their body language tells us when to leave the food and make a hasty retreat. But there can be surprises, too. It’s an adventure for us, all the way”, says Isuru.
Isuru who is only 28 loves this job. “It’s only one and a half years and it is a job like no other. One time the ostrich tried to peck me and he even tried kicking I was quick to avoid the kicks and pecks during their feeding time.” he said. The side bar to this story is how new opportunities are opening up for the youth of Sri Lanka, not just for exploration but by way of fascinating careers.
Watching them run to their food is a treat. Even though they are totally wild they have that instinct to tell them its feeding time. They get all their vitamins and mineral from feed plus they get vegetables, leaves and fruits according to their needs.
Chief Curator Padmalal has been in the field for the last eight years. From the Zoological Gardens to Ridiyagama, “this is an incredibly different atmosphere and living with nature and free roaming animals is an experience of its own”.
He spoke of the new inhabitants waiting to arrive soon in to a newly constructed zone of their own: The Bengali Tiger Zone, the Leopard Zone, Sloth Bear and Asian Herbivore, African Herbivore, Australian, Cheetah and the Butterfly Garden. The roll-call also tells us that some of our very own including the leopard and the sloth bear will add a Sri Lankan touch to the Ridiyagama’s animal kingdom.
Exciting plans are afoot for the park including animal breeding and conservation that will preserve the integrity of the park, as well as, good news for visitors that includes camping sites, circuit bungalows and leisure areas for kids.
Elaborating more Padmalal said that one could one day have more encounters with animals right in one’s path, without any visible barriers. Having animals walk alongside you has become a reason why tourists and locals come to visit. Another plan is to have the Night Safari. In our expansion, we also want to make watch out huts where you can stay overnight in the herbivore zone observing the elephants and having a personal, first-hand experience with animals.
When children and young people visit, their whole world opens up. It is about a sense of discovery, the feeling that you were lucky to see this. School vacation sees the busiest time for the park when 8 buses depart every 20 minutes right through the day.
There may be much work to be done in bringing the park to full glory where animals roam free in every sense while people get to have true-to-life encounters in the wild, but as it is, the Ridiyagama Safari Park is a tantalizingly unique experience for trip-going Sri Lankans – an experience that will make you go wild. It’s waiting for you just around the corner!
