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Sri Lanka’s Zoo Animals Are Having a Pandemic Child Growth

Sri Lanka's Zoo Animals Are Having a Pandemic Baby Boom

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – To prevent the worst of the devastation from Covid, Sri Lanka imposed lockdowns and suspended flights from overseas for almost a year, weakening the economy and drying up a vital tourism industry.

However, it was a fun time for animals in the island nation’s zoos.

Given the absence of visitors, animal births at zoos rose 25 percent last year, according to Ishini Wickremesinghe, director general of the Sri Lankan Department of National Zoological Gardens. Particularly noticeable, she said, was that several animals were born that have no breeding history in local zoos.

“Animals actually have a less stressful and relaxed time without people,” she said.

Sri Lanka closed its zoos in March 2020 and briefly reopened them to visitors earlier this year before closing again as coronavirus infections rose. The animals bred for the first time include a black swan, a white peacock and a Nilgai, the largest antelope in Asia. Others who have produced offspring include an Arabian oryx, a black duck, a scimitar-horned oryx, and a zebra.

“We also have three new lion cubs,” said Ms. Wickremesinghe. “After years, the animals really got a good break.”

The boys are now about six months old. With no visitors nearby, adult lions can roam freely in their enclosures and group together with potential companions.

In Sri Lanka’s wildlife parks, officials have not been able to confirm whether the brood is increasing, but the animals are “definitely stress-free,” said Manoj Vidyaratne, the overseer of Yala National Park on the island’s southeast coast. “We usually see around 400 vehicles in the park every day,” he said, “but this time nobody is there.”

Creatures in captivity elsewhere have also taken advantage of the pandemic to reproduce. Last April, two giant pandas successfully mated at the Hong Kong Zoo, which was closed to visitors due to the coronavirus.

Sri Lanka, an early success story in containing the spread of the virus, has seen a surge recently, registering nearly 3,000 new infections daily, according to a New York Times database. The pandemic has exacerbated the economic hardship of a country that struggled to recover from the terrorist attacks as early as 2019.

Sri Lanka’s zoos, which are home to around 4,000 species of animals, are among the main attractions of the tourism-dependent country, drawing more than three million visitors a year before the pandemic.

Despite the impact on revenue, Ms. Wickremesinghe said she hoped to keep the zoos closed until cases fell amid fears that primates could catch Covid-19 from an infected visitor. “We don’t know what to do when that happens,” she said.

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Business

Sri Lanka, Going through ‘Worst’ Marine Catastrophe, Investigates Cargo Ship Fireplace

Sri Lanka, Facing ‘Worst’ Marine Disaster, Investigates Cargo Ship Fire

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The authorities in Sri Lanka have opened a criminal investigation into the crew of a cargo ship laden with toxic chemicals that has been burning off the island nation’s coast for 12 days, spilling debris into the ocean and polluting the country’s beaches.

Several tons of plastic pellets that were being transported on the ship have washed ashore, and Sri Lanka’s Marine Protection Authority described the spill as “probably the worst beach pollution in our history.” Workers have been employed to scour the country’s white-sand beaches for the pellets used in the production of plastic bags and fishing has been discouraged for miles along the coast.

A spokesman for Sri Lanka’s Navy said the fire, which broke out aboard the ship, MV X-Press Pearl, on May 20, had been contained, but on Tuesday thick, black smoke was still seen rising from the burned containers on the ship’s deck.

The spokesman, Captain Indika de Silva, said the ship was carrying 1,486 containers, many of which contained so-called dangerous goods, including nitric acid, caustic soda, sodium methoxide and methane.

The ship was loaded with 350 tons of oil, and a combination of heavy fuel and marine fuel. Captain de Silva said it was “too early to say about an oil spill,” but warned that there was “still a possibility.”

“This is one of the worst marine disasters that has happened in Sri Lanka,” said Dr. Asha de Vos, a marine biologist. “Our only saving grace is that there was no oil spill. If that happens, that will be incredibly tragic.”

X-Press Feeders, the company that operated the vessel, said that a container onboard had been leaking nitric acid well before the ship entered the waters off Sri Lanka, a teardrop-shaped island near India.

The ship’s crew requested it be permitted to offload the leaking container at two previous stops, in India and Qatar, but were denied because the ports lacked the “specialist facilities or expertise” needed to “deal with the leaking acid,” according to X-Press Feeders.

The police have questioned the ship’s crew and sent contaminated water samples to labs for testing. Of the 25 crew members who were rescued and taken to quarantine facilities, two required treatment for injuries sustained during the evacuation and one tested positive for Covid-19, the ship’s operator said.

As the authorities seek to determine the cause of the fire, locals living along the coast near Colombo, the capital, have began a major cleanup.

“I have never seen anything like this before,” said Dinesh Wijayasinghe, 47, an employee at a hotel in the coastal town of Negombo. “When I first saw this, about three to four days ago, the beach was covered with these pellets. They looked like fish eyes.”

Mr. Wijayasinghe said Sri Lankan security personnel have collected as many as 200 bags worth of plastic pellets every day since the fire began.

“Still, more keeps washing ashore,” he said. “We are told not to go to this area. So we are keeping away.”

Dr. De Vos, the marine biologist, said the amount of plastic found on the island’s western and southern coasts was troubling

Plastic pollution, he said, can be a danger to humans and animals, including endangered species like turtles, which hatch their eggs on the beach.

“The pellets can soak and absorb the chemicals from the environment,” he said. “This is an issue because when we eat whole fish, we will also be eating these chemicals.”

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Business

The place can I journey in Asia with out quarantining? Sri Lanka is now open

Where can I travel in Asia without quarantining? Sri Lanka is now open

To quarantine or not to quarantine – that is the question.

At least for countries that are thinking about dealing with international travelers.

That changed last month, however, when Sri Lanka reopened its borders with a requirement unlike any country previously opened – one that neither allows travelers the freedom of the island nor places them in a hotel room for two weeks wraps up.

Sri Lankan Tourism Chairman Kimarli Fernando described it as a “new concept” developed by the Tourism Authority. It allows tourists to tour the country in “bio-bubbles” or in semi-isolated groups, allowing travelers to see sites without mixing with the local people.

The rules apply for the first two weeks of their stay.

Rules of the ‘bio-bubble’

When Sri Lanka reopened its borders on January 21, it became one of the few Asian countries – including the Maldives – where international travelers could enter without strict quarantine.

But tourists are not exactly free to go where they want. Sri Lanka’s “bio-bubbles” allow vacationers to get around the island provided they:

· Stay in approved hotels
· Visit approved websites at specific times
· Travel by independent means of transport
Perform frequent Covid-19 tests and
· Do not mix with the local people

These rules must be followed for the first two weeks after entering Sri Lanka. After that, guests are free to “interact with the local community” and “move into the accommodation of their choice,” according to a safety brochure produced by the country’s Ministry of Tourism.

The plan was first tested in a pilot project with Ukrainian tourists in late December 2020.

Where travelers can stay

As of February 17, there are 98 certified “Level 1” hotels that travelers can stay at for the first two weeks of a trip. The list includes hotels and villas in tourist hotspots like Bentota, Galle, Kandy and Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo.

Hotels cover a range of budgets, from guest houses in the surfing paradise of Hikkaduwa to tented lodges near Yala National Park to the luxurious Ani villas in Dickwella.

Sri Lanka is famous for its pristine and often empty beaches.

Dowel | Moment | Getty Images

The country’s two Aman hotels – Amangalla and Amanwella – as well as some of the restored British bungalows that make up the Ceylon Tea Trails in the beautiful tea region are on the list.

Unlike strict quarantines, travelers are not limited to their hotel rooms for the first two weeks of a trip. Guests are “allowed to use all of the hotel’s facilities including the beach,” Fernando told CNBC Global Traveler.

The hotels are said to be 75% busy and leave the remaining rooms open to isolate any guests who have tested positive for Covid-19. This option is only available to people without symptoms. infected travelers who have symptoms of Covid-19 must be isolated in a private hospital.

An Asian elephant walks along a dirt road in Yala National Park.

SolStock | E + | Getty Images

“All certified hotels have a doctor,” said Fernando. These doctors are supposed to monitor hotel staff and guests for Covid-19 symptoms and send daily reports to government agencies, according to Sri Lanka’s safety brochure.

Hotel employees who are in direct contact with guests are not allowed to leave the hotel during the guests’ stay and for 14 days thereafter. And if they are not equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE), Sri Lankans who come into contact with tourists – such as tour guides and drivers – must be quarantined for 14 days after the end of a tour.

Where travelers can and cannot go

During the first two weeks of a trip, travelers are allowed to switch between hotels and visit approved tourist attractions, provided they visit during certain periods of time that have been assigned to tourists. When out and about, they are not allowed to interact with local residents or other travelers.

Tourists must arrange transportation through their hotels or through a certified tour guide.

The list of places travelers are allowed to travel includes some of the most famous landmarks in Sri Lanka including the Sigiriya Fortress and the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. Yala National Park and the whale watching tours near Mirissa town are also on the list.

An ancient palace once stood on top of the 660-foot Sigiriya Rock, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is on the list of recognized tourist attractions.

Anton Petrus | Moment | Getty Images

However, the Dambulla Cave Temple and the 16th century Galle Fort, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, are not currently open to tourists.

Pre-planning is required for all outside travel, including stops for meals and toilet breaks.

Frequent Covid Tests

Travelers to Sri Lanka must undergo at least two Covid tests and possibly more, depending on the length of your stay.

Covid tests are initially required within 96 hours of departure and again after landing in Sri Lanka. Those who stay longer than five days must take a third test, and those who stay longer than two weeks must do a fourth test.

The Nine Arches Bridge is located in the elevated central highlands of Sri Lanka.

Michael Roberts | Moment | Getty Images

Children under the age of 12 are exempt from testing unless they become symptomatic or are in close contact with an infected traveler.

Travelers must also apply for a visa prior to departure. Prior to this, tourists must make hotel bookings, purchase Covid-19 insurance (USD 12), and prepay for Covid-19 tests (USD 40 each).

Visas are not currently issued to anyone who has been to the UK two weeks prior to entering Sri Lanka.

Do ‘organic bubbles’ attract tourists?

On February 15, Fernando of Sri Lanka Tourism told CNBC that 3,820 people had arrived since the country reopened on January 21.

“Compared to the first two to three weeks of arriving in the Maldives in July 2020, our arrivals are slightly higher,” she said.

Women pick tea near the town of Nuwara Eliya in central Sri Lanka.

Tuul & Bruno Morandi | The image database | Getty Images

Fernando said the travelers were from Germany, Russia, Ukraine and expatriates living in “GCC countries”, referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council member countries in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates .

She added that Sri Lanka is waiting for a “bubble agreement” to start flights with India as well.

Covid-19 rates in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka had low rates of Covid-19 infection until October last year. Cases have risen steadily since then, and the number of infections peaked earlier this month.

The country of 21.5 million people has confirmed more than 77,000 cases so far, according to Johns Hopkins University. Almost 11,500 cases have occurred in the past two weeks.

Sri Lanka started a vaccination campaign in late January. Fernando told CNBC that health officials will vaccinate all tourism workers “over the next few weeks.”