点评:Our visit to Yala National Park revealed a rich history; information posters noted that Yala was established as one of Sri Lanka's first national parks in 1938, having originally been designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1900. Yala claims the 3rd position in the world just behind Yellowstone in USA and Banff in Canada. The park is a haven for an impressive array of wildlife, prominently featuring the Sri Lankan leopard (Yala boasts the highest leopard density in the world), Sri Lankan elephants, sloth bears, and mugger crocodiles. Other resident wild cats include the jungle cat, fishing cat, and rusty-spotted cat.
Our mid-afternoon safari lasted over three hours, taking us over off-road bumpy terrain. We observed a variety of animals, most frequently peacocks, but also a Bengal monitor, Asiatic wild water buffalos, purple-faced langur monkeys, spotted deers, Asian elephants, mugger crocodiles, a ruddy mongoose, a termite hill gecko, and a leopard resting high in a tree.
Despite the excitement of the leopard sighting, the overall volume and variety of animals observed didn't feel commensurate with the extended duration and bumpy nature of the drive. The high volume of tourist jeeps, which often crowd around a single sighting, also impacted the sense of an authentic wilderness experience.
翻译:我们参观亚拉国家公园,发现这里历史悠久;信息牌上写着,亚拉国家公园于1938年正式成立,是斯里兰卡最早的国家公园之一,其前身是1900年设立的野生动物保护区。亚拉国家公园位列世界第三,仅次于美国的黄石国家公园和加拿大的班夫国家公园。公园里栖息着种类繁多的野生动物,其中最引人注目的是斯里兰卡豹(亚拉拥有世界上最高的豹密度)、斯里兰卡象、懒熊和沼泽鳄。其他常见的野生猫科动物包括丛林猫、渔猫和锈斑猫。
我们下午的游猎之旅持续了三个多小时,途经崎岖不平的越野路段。我们观察到了各种各样的动物,最常见的是孔雀,此外还有孟加拉巨蜥、亚洲野水牛、紫脸叶猴、梅花鹿、亚洲象、沼泽鳄、赤獴、白蚁丘壁虎,以及一只栖息在树上的豹子。
尽管看到豹子令人兴奋,但考虑到行程的漫长和颠簸,我们看到的动物数量和种类似乎并不相称。大量的旅游吉普车经常挤在同一个动物周围,也影响了我们体验真正荒野的感觉。