Sri Lanka, regardless of its development activities, has its own unique collection of wild life. Even though there have been many human animal conflicts rising recorded during the near past, most of the Sri Lankans are now aware of the importance of protecting these valuable species. These forest reserves are now being protected by the Department of wildlife conservation.
Kumana National Park
Kumana national park is one of the important wildlife reserves in Ampara. This park is predominantly known for its abundance of bird species visiting this park. This was earlier known as Yala east national park and the entrance of it starts in Panama. Significance of this park is it has a mix of both fresh and brackish water bodies owing to its 200 hectares of mangrove swamp called “Kumana Villu” which is subject to occasional inundation with sea water.
Angammedilla National Park
Angammedilla National Park is a national park situated in the Polonnaruwa district established in 2006; it is one of the new national parks in Sri Lanka and is governed by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. The main objective of establishing this as a reserve is to protect the drainage basin of the Parakrama Samudraya. Apart from this, Angammedilla National Park also covers the drainage basins of Girithale and Minneriya irrigation tanks. A wide variety of flora and fauna are found at Angammedilla National Park.
Minneriya National Park
Minneriya National Park has an extent of 8889 Hectares and established as a national park in 12th August 1997.Vegetation is dry evergreen forest and at the center there is a huge water body, Minneriya lake fed by water diverted from Amban River through ancient Elahera channel. The main rainy season starts in mid-October and ends in late January. May to September is the dry season here. This natural park has a big reputation for elephants but it also has 25 other mammals. There are Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer, Barking Deer and Mouse Deer. All four members of the cat family including the Leopard and the Fishing Cat are found here.