Daily Tribune
Spotted deers, the most common deer species in Sri Lankan forests, are often seen at Yala National Park crossing in herds.
In the jungle of Yala, the experience can be as raw as meeting a wild elephant, some 10 feet high, in the eye, by the road and outside your hotel room.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY Vernon Velasco FOR THE DAILY TRIBUNE
You come to Sri Lanka in pursuit of animal encounters.
It’s a walking safari everywhere; it’s so easy to miss a lot if you keep your camera holstered.
Small squirrels importuning tourists for food are not hard to come by; a peacock on speed, a langur unobtrusively watching you recede into the distance.
Black-faced langurs are old-world primates endemic to Sri Lanka.
An elusive elephant by the road can cause quite a stir in transit, especially if you come from a country where animals are running out of places to live.
In Sri Lanka, you don’t get to see a leopard, in the wild, every day. And finally meeting the sensational big cat, in Yala, can strike as deeply felt.
You’re made special by it.
Sri Lankan roads are wildlife corridors, where animals can traverse safely.
