Giant's Tank Sanctuary

Giant's Tank Sanctuary
Giant's Tank Sanctuary
கட்டுக்கரை குளம் சரணாலயம்
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
	Giant's Tank Sanctuary Location within Northern Province
Location	Northern Province
Nearest city	Mannar
Coordinates	08°51′30″N 80°03′45″E / 8.85833°N 80.06250°E
Area	43 km2 (17 sq mi)
Established	24 September 1954
Administrator	Department of Wildlife Conservation

Giant's Tank Sanctuary (Tamil: கட்டுக்கரை குளம் சரணாலயம் Kaṭṭukkarai Kuḷam Caraṇālayam) is a wildlife sanctuary in northern Sri Lanka, approximately 20 km (12 mi) south east of Mannar.

History[edit]

Giant's Tank and its surrounding area was designated as a sanctuary on 24 September 1954 under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (No. 2) of 1937.^[1]^[2] It had an area of 3,941 ha (9,738 acres) in 1990.^[1] It currently has an area of 4,330 ha (10,700 acres).^[2]

Giant's Tank Sanctuary has been subject to illegal deforestation to make way for banana plantation for the Dole Food Company.^[3]^[4]

Flora and fauna[edit]

Giant's Tank is surrounded by rice paddies and dry scrub forest.^[1] Numerous varieties of water and wader birds are found in the sanctuary including the Eurasian wigeon, garganey, knob-billed duck and pygmy goose.^[1] Fish found in the tank include channa striata, heteropneustes fossilis, labeo dussumieri, Mozambique tilapia, olive barb, ompok bimaculatus and long-snouted barb.^[1] Asian elephants are also found in the sanctuary.^[1]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Green, Michael J. B. (1990). IUCN Directory of South Asian Protected Areas. International Union for Conservation of Nature. pp. 210-211. ISBN 2-8317-0030-2.
^ ^a ^b "Sanctuaries". Department of Wildlife Conservation.
^ Hettiarachchi, Kumudini; Jeewandara, Shaveen (9 October 2011). "Intimate balance needed between conservation, development:Eminent conservationist". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
^ Krishnaswamy, P. (13 November 2011). "Giant's Tank jungle - clearing vital". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.

[IUCN-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Green, Michael J. B. (1990). IUCN Directory of South Asian Protected Areas. International Union for Conservation of Nature. pp. 210-211. ISBN 2-8317-0030-2.

[DWC-2] "Sanctuaries". Department of Wildlife Conservation.

[3] Hettiarachchi, Kumudini; Jeewandara, Shaveen (9 October 2011). "Intimate balance needed between conservation, development:Eminent conservationist". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).

[4] Krishnaswamy, P. (13 November 2011). "Giant's Tank jungle - clearing vital". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.

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