Python Friend

The Sunrise on end of the month we saw from SLWCS Field House.

Today the 31st January 2012 morning my plan was to do the Leopard transect at Irriyagaha Ulpotha (Kutiya Transect) So I decided to arrange our lunch at the Camp site and also dinner too, because of it was arranged the elephant observation in the tree hut at corridor as well as to spent a night in the tree house for the team. So today I told every ones that we will not come back to the field house again until next day (01st February 2012) afternoon according to my agenda and all the volunteers were agreed with this exiting plan.

Then every body got prepared things that they essential for a day rapidly and got in to the Land Rover quickly at around 9.00am. I brought them to the Irriya camp site first and the team started the transect with Jayathilaka. I stayed in the camp with Leelarathna and Leelawathi to look over the site as well as to discussed about Leelarathna's cultivation there. Said Leelarathna, that Rats come and eat the plants in the paddy crop. This was his Major issue of there.

Irriyagaha Ulpotha paddy fields is growing well I saw

After our lunch at Irriya we went to the tree hut at around 2.00pm due to Leelarathne said that he got a elephant charge on his way to the camp and he had climbed a tree at the corridor to save his life from them, which Leelarathna who is our care tacker of the SLWCS camp site has to go down where Weheragalagama village to make his mobile phone re-cgarge time to time. So today this incident was happen during this time and on his way back to the camp. Then I and the team decided to go to the tree hut immediately and went. So we didn't see them when we go there and I moved to the project house(Pussallayaya) to bring some essential items for the tree hut night and to buy some provisions for Leela.

I arranged the team's dinner also at Irriya camp site since our plan is to spend a night in the tree house. The pictures show es the volunteer's dinner at Irriya camp site and pictures of the camp site at night.

Once I dropped them in to the tree hut with Jayathilake I went back to the Pussallayaya field house and met Dharshana and Sampath had came there. So we had a little chat and at around 5.30pm I went to the tree hut back again to bring the team up to the camp site for dinner. So the team said that they saw the Nondiya was came back again with other two elephants around the tree hut at around 5.30pm. After the dinner we all went back again to the tree hut at 8.00pm and spent a night there.

The next day morning we went back to the Irriya again for our breakfast and had planned to do a Galgedawala transect for the morning and while they are doing this transect I came back Pussallayaya to meet Dharshana since he wants some tools which was inside my cupboard. Dharshana and Sampath said there was a big chicken sound at the chicken cages last night and they had checked at that time with Siriya and was not found any thing at that time there. So we all went up there again and done look over the area.

everybody walked in diffenent directions around the cage to find lost chickens, suddenly Siriya was shouted from behind the chicken cages and we all went there. He was shouting there is a Viper here. I ran back to the field house and brought the snake catching tools up. So Dharshana got the tools and we all helpped him to caught it. Siriya was jumpping back and forward with the big stick to kill it. There was a funny moment with him every one. This is the Python Friend back to the chicken cage and had killed two chickens there last night and Siriya complained that he lost 8 more numbers of chickens within two three weeks time to time. This fellow has enter to the cages from very strategic points at midnight and swallow the chickens and hide some where around the chicken cage during the day.

Dharshana arrested it in to the slwcs gel and it took over all the complains honestly. Eventually Python became SLWCS teams good friend. every ones took pictures with it and this is remarkable story for me.

I brought the Python Friend up to the Irriya camp site and showed it to the volunteers and they were scared. Finally we releesed the Python Friend in to the elephant corridoor and it went happy.

The Wasgamuwa Volunteer's Weekend

I wanted to go home this weekend (27th January 2012) Friday due to my registration of BA-Sociology degree program at the Open University of Sri Lanka. So I explained to the team this matter and every ones agreed to get a long holiday after doing so much of field activities in the last 12days continually. Then Gene who came from USA and stay here for 8weeks to help our elephant research activities during his period with us. From early, he was thinking to visit Dambulla, Sigiriya and Anuradhapura. Therefore I asked him to come with me since I can help him to find appropriate directions from Dambulla. So Naima and Reeve wanted to stay at the field House with Siriya doing some data entry works. So I assign them on some GIS works which is collect the GPS points in Pussallayaya each households where the SLWCS first fenced village, during their weekend here due to Naima needs to fulfill her 200h field works for her college.

I asked her to send me an update about the weekend works.

Posted by: Naima

Day: 18 - Getting to Know Villages

This morning was spent surveying the village we stay in. We had to get the GPS point
of every house in the village. Siria was our guide of the village today, which
made for an entertaining morning. But after about 40 houses, the rather
sweltering sun got to me and I decided to call it a day. Reeve, the fighter he
is, did a total of over 120 houses today. Aren't I proud?

Village bathers

Harvasted Corn in the farmers house

We got some tea at one of Siria's relative's

Afternoon,
we went fishing for dinner. I can't say i'm a fan- fish flopping about on the
shore till they die. Eeek. But Reeve was utterly contented. And now we have
dinner :)

A fisherman in his paddy fields

The fisherman with their nets

Routin of SLWCS Wasgamuwa

Another Beautiful day at Wasgamuwa SLWCS field house started with the nice sunrise. This scenery can be visual from the field house. People who stay this house love for this see on the morning with a cup of Ceylon tea.

I added this new transect to my Wasgamuwa agenda due to spacial request of our president of the society who Ravi Corea. He wanted to see the how elephant density of in between Weheragalagama village and the elephant corridor. So we started this from the tree hut and to go towards Wasgamuwa National Park border.

After take the GPS location of the start point the team started the new transect. I was waiting at the start point where around our tree hut because Jayathilaka who was leading the team wanted me to stay there till he pass 2km ahead. the time was 11.00am I went up to the tree hut, I heard a elephant rumble sound from the track. In a minute I got a telephone call from Jayathilake and said can't proceed the transect due to elephants. When they were trying to go forward they got elephant charge. at the same time I saw one elephant going towards WG-Tank. This is unbelievable thing to see an elephant at there in this time. eventually I asked Jayathilake to return with the team.

At around 4.00pm we went to the tree hut back for elephant observation activity. at 4.45pm the elephant came around tree hut, today we saw lots of interaction of human and elephants at the corridor.