• Animals natural behaviour disturbed
• Damage to protected areas outside designated roads

Against the backdrop of night safari activities being strictly prohibited in the country, the Panama Safari Jeep Association in Ampara accused certain safari operators in the Kumana National Park of conducting night safaris, disturbing the natural behavioural patterns of animals and damaging protected areas by driving outside the designated roads to reach the animals. 

The accused safari jeep drivers, unlike those who conduct regular safari rides where animals are observed in their natural habitats and behaviours, allegedly provoke animals and remain near them for extended periods to attract the attention of wildlife watchers, The Daily Morning learnt.

The Secretary of the Association, Priyantha Pushpakumara said that safari operations are managed by local residents in a manner that protects both their livelihoods and the animals. 

However, he claimed that a new group is gradually destroying the Park. "There’re a few jeep drivers who bring tourists and locals on safaris. But, we’ve noticed their practices disturbing the animals. Usually, if there’s a leopard sleeping, we wouldn’t stay there for more than 10 minutes before leaving the place. 

But, these people drive near them, wake them up and stay near the same animal for hours, sometimes the whole day and they promote themselves as offering safaris that provide the best experience," he said. 

He also added that although night safaris are strictly prohibited in the country, these groups continue to engage in such activities. "In the morning, we see the tire marks and know that this has been happening for a while.

 Yet, at night, we can’t stay in the Park, and we can’t prove it without getting ourselves into trouble. However, one of the safari drivers accidentally leaked a video of a night safari, but the authorities are still delaying action," he said. 

According to him, night safaris disrupt the natural patterns of animals. "Some animals hunt at night, and when they go in search of prey, these jeeps become a disturbance. Also, with these strong flashlights, they wake up sleeping animals. 

There’re also places such as grasslands where we don’t drive our jeeps. But, we frequently see tire marks in these areas too. We have complained several times, but no investigation has been conducted so far," he said. 

According to Pushpakumara, when the Association requested the authorities to stop those conducting safaris inside Kumana due to the alleged destruction, they were allegedly told that anyone in the country could operate a business wherever they wanted. 

He added that the Department of Wildlife Conservation's (DWC) Director General Ranjan Marasinghe had not granted the Association an opportunity to discuss the matter with him, hence the Association is in the process of drafting a letter outlining all the allegations.

Attempts to contact the Park authorities and the DWC’s 24-hour hotline, 1992, introduced to receive wildlife-related complaints, were unsuccessful.