Giant's Tank Sanctuary

Giant's Tank Sanctuary
கட்டுக்கரை குளம் சரணாலயம்
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map showing the location of Giant's Tank Sanctuary
Giant's Tank Sanctuary

Location within Northern Province

Location Northern Province
Nearest city Mannar
Coordinates 08°51′30″N 80°03′45″E / 8.85833°N 80.06250°E / 8.85833; 80.06250Coordinates: 08°51′30″N 80°03′45″E / 8.85833°N 80.06250°E / 8.85833; 80.06250
Area 43 km2 (17 sq mi)
Established 24 September 1954 (1954-09-24)
Administrator Department of Wildlife Conservation

Giant's Tank Sanctuary (Tamil: கட்டுக்கரை குளம் சரணாலயம் Kaṭṭukkarai Kuḷam Caraṇālayam) is a wildlife sanctuary in northern Sri Lanka, approximately 20 km (12 mi) south east of Mannar.

History

Giant's Tank and its surrounding area was designated as a sanctuary on 24 September 1954 under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (No. 2) of 1937.[1][2] It had an area of 3,941 ha (9,738 acres) in 1990.[1] It currently has an area of 4,330 ha (10,700 acres).[2]

Giant's Tank Sanctuary has been subject to illegal deforestation to make way for banana plantation for the Dole Food Company.[3][4]

Flora and fauna

Giant's Tank is surrounded by rice paddies and dry scrub forest.[1] Numerous varieties of water and wader birds are found in the sanctuary including the Eurasian wigeon, garganey, knob-billed duck and pygmy goose.[1] Fish found in the tank include channa striata, heteropneustes fossilis, labeo dussumieri, Mozambique tilapia, olive barb, ompok bimaculatus and puntius dorsalis.[1] Asian elephants are also found in the sanctuary.[1]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.