Hurulu Forest Reserve of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

 was designated as a biosphere reserve

Biosphere reserve

The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...

 in January 1977. The forest reserve is an important habitat of the Sri Lankan Elephant

Sri Lankan Elephant

The Sri Lankan Elephant is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian Elephant, and native to Sri Lanka. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years...

. Hurulu forest reserve represents Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests

Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests

The Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of the island of Sri Lanka. The ecoregion covers an area of , which includes most of the island of Sri Lanka, with the exception of the islands' southwestern corner and central highlands, home to the Sri...

. There are many other protected areas situated around Hurulu Forest Reserve viz. Ritigala strict nature reserve, Minneriya-Girithale and Mahaweli flood plains nature reserves, Wasgamuwa National Park and Kahalla-Pallekele sanctuary.

Physical features

The annual mean temperature is 27.3 °C. and the area receives 1,600 mm of precipitation

Precipitation (meteorology)

In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...

 annually. A distinct dry season of three to six months persists during the months April/May to September. The elevation ranges from 90 m to 150 m above sea level.

Flora and fauna

Chloroxylon swietenia

Chloroxylon

Chloroxylon swietenia is a tropical hardwood, the sole species in the genus Chloroxylon...

(Sinhalese "Burutha"), Manilkara hexandra

Manilkara hexandra

Manilkara hexandra is a species in the tribe Sapoteae, in the Sapotaceae family that is native to much of south Asia Manilkara hexandra is a species in the tribe Sapoteae, in the Sapotaceae family that is native to much of south Asia Manilkara hexandra is a species in the tribe Sapoteae, in the...

("Palu") and Diospyros ebenum

Diospyros ebenum

Diospyros ebenum is a species of tree occurring in southern India and Sri Lanka. It is best known for being one of the trees that yield ebony; the wood of this tree is called Ceylon Ebony or India Ebony, but often simply called "ebony"....

("Kaluwara") are the dominant tree

Dominance (ecology)

Ecological dominance is the degree to which a species is more numerous than its competitors in an ecological community, or makes up more of the biomass...

 species. The Indian Star Tortoise

Indian Star Tortoise

The Indian star tortoise is a species of tortoise found in dry areas and scrub forest in India and Sri Lanka. This species is quite popular in the exotic pet trade.-Anatomy and morphology:...

, Sri Lanka Junglefowl

Sri Lanka Junglefowl

The Sri Lankan Junglefowl , also known during the colonial era as the Ceylon Junglefowl, is a member of the pheasant family which is endemic to Sri Lanka, where it is the national bird. It is closely related to the Red Junglefowl , the wild junglefowl from which the chicken was domesticated...

, Sri Lankan Elephant

Sri Lankan Elephant

The Sri Lankan Elephant is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian Elephant, and native to Sri Lanka. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years...

, Sri Lanka Leopard

Sri Lanka Leopard

The Sri Lankan leopard , colloquially known as Kotiya in Sinhala and Puli in Tamil, is a subspecies of leopard native to Sri Lanka...

 and Rusty-spotted Cat

Rusty-spotted Cat

The Rusty-spotted Cat is the cat family's smallest member and found only in India and Sri Lanka. It has been listed as Vulnerable by IUCN in 2002 as the total effective population size is below 10,000 mature individuals, with a declining trend due to habitat loss, and no subpopulation containing...

 are among the endangered species of the forest reserve.

Human impact

There is no record of the number of people who live in the forest reserve. Shifting cultivation

Shifting cultivation

Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned. This system often involves clearing of a piece of land followed by several years of wood harvesting or farming, until the soil loses fertility...

 is their main means of living. The Sri Lankan Elephant

Sri Lankan Elephant

The Sri Lankan Elephant is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian Elephant, and native to Sri Lanka. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years...

 is known for its migratory behavior and does so especially in the dry season between the forests situated around the area. Expansion of human settlements and forest clearance resulted in a human–elephant clash. Translocation

Translocation (Wildlife conservation)

Translocation in wildlife conservation means capture, transport and release or introduction of species, habitats or other ecological material from one location to another...

 is the conventional solution taken to solve the issue.

But translocation has not been a good solution as some of the translocated elephants are returning to their original habitat. Recently a distinguished one-tusked

Tusk

Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth, usually but not always in pairs, that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canines, as with warthogs, wild boar, and walruses, or, in the case of elephants and narwhals, elongated incisors...

 adult male individual walk past Hurulu Forest reserve to reach its home, traveling for a month and 243 km after being translocated in Somawathiya National Park, 93 km away in a straight line. Its wanderings were tracked

Tracking animal migration

For years scientists have been tracking animals and the ways they migrate. One of the many goals of animal migration research has been, of course, to determine where the animals are going; however, researchers also want to know why they are going "there"...

by a radio collar. Elephants' strong attachment to their home range is being credited for such returnings.