Wildest Islands: Sri Lanka

I don’t normally show nature films, but in this case I decided to as on the one hand there is such a dearth of material about Sri Lanka available, and on the other the documentary does touch upon the civilisations and cultural influence of the country on its wildlife.

The film is basically about the flora and fauna in Sri Lanka, which is a very varied country climatically and has a great diversity of environments, from the Lowland Plains, the Highlands, National Parks like Yala and ancient and abandoned cities like Polonnaruwa, all of which are featured here.

The film shows how the ancient and medieval rulers in Sri Lanka built hundreds, or perhaps even thousands, of tanks (artificial lakes) to help sustain and further develop their great hydraulic civilisations, and how Buddhist culture has helped foster a safe environment for the animals and birds.

The film also has great footage from the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, where the macaque is king; as well as other interesting footage of the wildlife in the country, including elephants, leopards, crocodiles, monkeys, deer and bird-life.

I lived in Sri Lanka for around 15 years and in most of the habitats described in the film so it also brought back happy memories of being close to nature and being integrated in the wonderful culture and nature of the island.