A rare Species of mammal Found in the Highlands of Sri Lanka

Eco tourism advocate and nature photographer Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, on a trail of butterflies and dragonflies, at Horton Plains National Park; was amazed to witness a hardly ever seen Mountain Mouse-deer being pursued by a Brown mongoose, to discover that he had chanced upon a species endemic to Sri Lanka.

After observation at the Pattipola Gate Pond for a whole day; the pregnant female mouse-deer measuring 56 cm in length, was taken to safe custody by the park wardens and released after examination and confirmation by scientists Dr Tharaka Prasad and Dr Prithiviraj Fernando (www.ccrsl.org). This raises the number of endemic mammals found in Sri Lanka to 18 species.