A Meaningful Safari in Yala

During my October break I went on a Safari In the Yala National Park on the 11th of October. I went with an experienced team from Kulu Safari from the Haritha collection, a nature loving hotel chain. We planned to go on the early Safari, because the naturalist Sudira advised us that there would be a much higher chance of sighting animals if we were to leave when the forest was fresh and just waking up in the morning. The journey lasted 11hrs, starting at 6am to 5pm. Through this Safari I grasped a much better idea of the behaviors and mannerisms of many common spices to Sri Lanka like Elephants, Deer, White stalks, Crocodiles and Peacocks.  The Naturalist spent time teaching me and my family about all the animals we observed during the trip. For instance, as we passed a matured female elephant that was eating behind a bush, Sudira told us that elephants think they are hidden if their eyes are covered. They believe that their prey can’t see them, if they can’t see their prey. I found this really cute because I very clearly saw the big tummy and tail sticking out from behind the bush as she was trying to hide from the safari jeep. During the drive, as I observed the different habitats and trees around me, I felt extremely at peace. I have really grown to love and respect nature as of late, I find a lot fo happiness in exploring and understanding the intricacy of how it all works. We began our safari in Block one of the Park, and then proceeded to block 2 , where there were much less people and more wildlife. However, as we approached block 2, both the diver and tracker got out of the car and broke a small twig, and prayed to their god. Sudira the naturalist told me that it’s tradition to pray to their gods so that they will make it back safely. This concept started through villagers in the past, and has remained an ongoing tradition in the park. I was touched as I noticed all the little twigs hung off the tree, marking the number of safari jeeps that entered this block in the forest. However, the most beautiful moment of the Safari is when we stopped to have lunch, overlooking the sea. They set out a table on the sand, and provided us with the most yummy rice and curry. We then all fell asleep to the waves for a hour on the beach before heading back to the camp. There was just something so special about being in such raw nature, and seeing how a beach was without human vandalisation.  This made me reflect, on how much we as a race have damaged the environments and nature around us. As we turned the engine off and observed the behavior of the elephant and it’s baby, I thought of how a majority of humans just can’t seem to respect nor want to understand things that they can’t relate to. Just because we can’t communicate with these different species,  doesn’t make them any less worthy than us. They still do communicate with each other through calls and noise, they have feelings and they have families. In my eyes I almost respect them more than humans, because they don’t judge one another and don’t distrust things that are given. Sudria said that female elephants protect babies that aren’t even their own with their lives. We as a race should learn to be more like animals, respect one another, stay loyal to one another and be there for one another.