The Rambukkana Zoo can be described as a wild animals’ escape because these animals are not confined to cages and can roam about freely as they wish. Looking at these animals one gets the feeling that they are in the wild and in their natural habitat.
The Rambukkana Zoo is Sri Lanka’s first open air Zoo which was opened to the public on April 17, 2015 by the then Minister of Tourism and Sports, Navin Dissanayake and National Zoological Garden Director, Anura de Silva. It is located within close proximity to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.
However, it did not see the light of day till a decade after the foundation stone was laid. On a concept of the late Dharmasiri Senanayake, a former Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation the foundation stone for the construction of this zoo was laid on May 10, 2005. However, the construction work came to a standstill due to various reasons and the work was completed only in 2015 after a lapse of ten years.
The Zoo is on a by-road connected to the Colombo – Kandy main road. One has to travel about two kilometres passing the Kegalle town towards Kandy, then, you come across the Karandupona junction from here you have to take a left turn and travel about five kilometres to reach the Zoo.
Local and foreign tourists who visit the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage never fail to visit the Open Air Zoo.
Natural beauty intact
The Zoo stands on an expanse of 44 acres which has been landscaped without its natural beauty being hampered.
Visitors can see wild animals roaming around in the park as if they were in their natural habitat. This is a wonderful sight to behold!
It is also considered as a branch of the Dehiwala National Zoo. According to officers of the Zoo, the need for a second Zoo was a long-felt need because Sri Lanka has a rich diversity of animals across the country. The Dehiwala Zoo provides facilities for many animals from all over the world and due to the different varieties from different countries and also the large numbers, there was a difficulty to keep endemic animals under these controlled conditions. The second Zoo gives an opportunity to the public to identify endemic animals and enhance their awareness about the rich biodiversity in Sri Lanka.
Two main sections
The Zoo is divided into main two sections, the Sri Lankan Zone and the World Zone. At present, the Zoo is home to many native animals such as the cheetah, the Sri Lankan leopard, purple faced leaf monkey, wild boar, sambar, the Asian elephant and different endemic bird species.
Leopard watching area
The leopard watching area is the largest animal viewing area in the park. Here, there is a special open section where the free roaming of the Sri Lankan leopard could be seen and is indeed a beautiful sight. The Sri Lankan leopard is classified as an endangered species.
The Zoo has seven enclosures. They are the pet area, the swan pond, the deer enclosure, the crocodile enclosure, the leopard enclosure, the bear enclosure and the eye catching butterfly garden. Each enclosure is independent of the other and does not buttress into another enclosure, thus enabling carefree movement of the animals.
According to the workers, with the arrival of the tourists, illegal structures are reported to be coming up in the vicinity of the zoo. They said illegal constructions were not only hindering the beauty of the area and the environment but were also hindering tourists visiting the Zoo.
An astounding 100 illegal shops have come up on either side of the Kegalle- Rambukkana road. The situation has created grave inconvenience to visitors while also obstructing vehicle parking as well.
The authorities should take a serious look into the matter and take remedial measures to minimise inconvenience to tourists as well as maintain the tranquility of the area and remove the unauthorised stalls.
