Chaaya Wild Yala launched its first publication of wildlife photography ‘Reflections of the Wild’ in the presence of celebrated wildlife photographers Jonathan and Angela Scott.

The book comprising of 160 pages of breathtaking photographs capturedbya team of passionate naturalistknown as ‘Nature Trails’, the Eco and Adventure arm of John Keells Hotels takes the reader on a visual safari celebrating the biodiversity of Yala National Park.

‘Reflections of the Wild’ includes unique images captured during the National Geographic film using advanced infrared and thermal imagery, which compliments Sri Lanka’s claim to be the ‘Ultimate Island Safari’. The book includes chapters written by Dr. Prithviraj Fernando on Elephants, RohanPethiyagoda on Biodiversity, Channa Daswatte on Chaaya Wild Yala and ChitralJayatilake on Leopards with the foreword written by Jonathan and Angela Scott colourfully describing Sri Lanka’s potential in wildlife tourism.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. AjitGunewardene - Deputy Chairman, John Keells Holdings stated that John Keells Hotels strive to create memorable experiences rather than mere excursions and that sustainable use of natural resources was an area of focus within the entire John Keells Group. He invited all individuals and corporate’s to join hands as partners in this effort to aid and assist sustainability and conservation.

‘Nature Trails’ through ‘Reflections of the Wild’ aims to teach the technical aspects of digital wildlife photography whilst educating the natural habitat to all aspiring and established photographer who is planning on visiting the wilderness.

ChitralJayatilake – Head, Eco Tourism and Special Projects, John Keells Hotels and aco-author of the book shared some of the unforgettable experiences encountered by the’ Nature Trails’ team this season which included spotting over 200 sperm whales off ChaayaBluTrincomalee. The team’s ability to make photo records of their unique experiences caught 42 full body breaches of Sperm Whales in a single day, documenting this behaviour to perfection.

This event had more than 200 guests all of who are nature lovers and was co-hosted by American Express in their efforts to bring nature based experiences to their valued customers in a series tagged as the ‘Explore the World’ series.

Copies of the publication are priced at LKR 3500 each and are available at the John Keells Head Office at 130, Glennie Street, Colombo 02 and at all Cinnamon and Chaaya Resorts island-wide. Further information can be obtained from NishadiLiyanage who can be contacted on 0094 (0) 11 2 306 816 or [email protected]