A Day at the Pinnawala Open Air Zoo
Pinnawala, a popular destination for elephant lovers is one of the must visit places in Sri Lanka. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is nothing new to those who are on their way to Kandy and it is one place that you must visit in your lifetime. However, during last year, another significant venue, the Pinnawala Open Air Zoo was introduced for all animal lovers. This is the first open air zoo in Sri Lanka and today it is another attraction in Pinnawala. In an attempt to find out more about this location, the Daily Mirror Life paid a visit recently.
Entrance
Spanning 44 acres of land, the zoo has been built in such a way so that humans and animals can interact. Once inside the premises, one would not think that it would be that interesting since no sound from animals can be heard except for an alley with beautiful flowers. However, once inside the main premises one would really not forget to catch a glimpse of the turkeys, rabbits, tortoises, porcupines and hens who are roaming around in an area dedicated for them. By the time we were visiting, they were having a platter of fruits for breakfast and all of them seemed to be quite friendly!
Ticketing Counter
Although it is an open air zoo and the animals are free, visitors cannot watch them free-of-charge. The prices of tickets are as follows:
| Age Group |
Price |
|
Local : Adult
Child
|
Rs.100
Rs.30
|
| School Group |
Rs.20 |
|
Foreigners : Adult
Child
|
Rs.1000
Rs.300
|
|
SAARC : Adult
Child
|
Rs. 500
Rs. 250
|
Note : Children should be between age 3-12 and anyone above this age limit are considered adults.
Deer Park
As you go further inside, a sign reads ‘Let’s learn more about the deer’ and along with that there is a huge stretch of land separated for different breeds of deer. Some of them include the barking deer, hog deer and spotted deer. Here and there one can spot a few ducks as well. While we were walking further, we were also greeted by a group of peahen who were returning from their morning walk.
Ponies and Donkeys
The park has wide lanes to ensure that visitors can roam around freely without getting packed and also to make space for an occasional bus ride inside the zoo. While we were walking further we were greeted by a group of well-bred ponies who were walking freely. One could mistakenly call them horses because they actually looked that good. Along with the ponies, a group of donkeys were silently going on their morning walk and much to our surprise they didn’t take on one another!
Wilpattu Wing
While moving further, one has to take a few twists and turns before moving to the most interesting part of the zoo, which is the Wilpattu wing and the site for leopards. The ‘Wilpattu wing’ is an office space that provides more information on leopards. The interior has huge wallpapers with leopards in their natural surroundings and on the walls one could read about the different types of leopards, their lifestyles, breeding patterns etc.
Leopards
Adjoining the Wilpattu wing is the most popular leopard site. We were able to see three of them, well-fed and majestic in shape. They were having their own time inside their space and we were told that they respond only to the call of their caretaker.
Other animals inside the zoo include Guinea fowls, mute swans, Bantam fowls, Pelicans and geese.
Future Developments
When compared to the Dehiwela zoo, there is much more that needs to be done. The Daily Mirror also learned that during the second stage of their development programme, a crocodile bath, a space for bears, a butterfly and a bird park will be introduced during the latter part of the year.
By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe
Photographs by Kushan Pathiraja
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