News
Kandyan artefacts returned by the Netherlands on display
Six Kandyan artefacts seized during the Dutch colonial occupation of Sri Lanka and returned from the Netherlands recently, is on display at the Colombo National Museum.
The unveiling of the artefacts took place at the National Museum on 05 December with the participation of Minister of Buddha Sasana and Cultural Affairs, Vidura Wickramanayake, and the President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff, Sagala Ratnayaka.
The exhibits include a golden and silver kasthãné (ceremonial swords), two maha thuwakku (wall guns), and Lewke Disave’s cannon, taken away as war booty by the Dutch East India Company in 1765, during the siege of the Palace of Kandy.
The golden kastane is embellished with 136 diamonds and 13 rubies.
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Sri Lanka, Bonnie Horbach, the Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dewi van de Weerd, Ambassador of Egypt in Sri Lanka Maged Mosleh, the Director General of the National Museum Department, Sajani Kasturiarachchi, and several distinguished officials from both the Netherlands and Sri Lanka were present.
The Otter Aquatic Club, Colombo 7 will host its annual Bak Maha Ulela on April 25, 2026, with a full day of festivities to mark the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
The celebration will feature traditional games, cultural activities, creating a vibrant atmosphere for families and friends to enjoy together. Organisers invite everyone to take part in this joyous occasion.
Three Sri Lankan leopard cubs that were born at the Singapore Zoo on Jan 1 have now made their public debut at the facility.
The two males and one female, born to mother Yala and father Asanka, are the first of their species yo be born at the Singapore Zoo. The last successful birth in Singapore was recorded at the Night Safari three decades ago.
The triplets, which are the pair’s first litter, are among around 80 Sri Lankan leopards in zoos worldwide.
The species is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with fewer than 800 individuals estimated to remain in the wild.
Visitors can now see the triplets at the Wild Africa exhibit, said the Mandai Wildlife Group in a statement on April 16.
The cubs can be found in the exhibit with their mother daily until mid-May and, subsequently, every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Yala with her cubs in their nest box, a month after their birth on Jan 1. (Straits Times)
A leopard cub investigating a piece of meat suspended from a tree – one of the several enrichment items in the Wild Africa exhibit designed to keep the cats mentally and physically stimulated. (Straits Times)
Mandai Wildlife Group curator Anand Kumar said it took nearly three years and close collaboration across continents to bring together a compatible pair of Sri Lankan leopards.
(Straits Times)
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-zoos-first-sri-lankan-leopard-cubs-make-their-public-debut?ref=top-stories
The Sri Lanka Navy has seized a local multi- day fishing trawler, it’s four man crew together with a consignment suspected to be narcotics off the Southern Coast of the island.
The vessel is presently being escorted to the Dikowita fisheries harbour for further investigations and legal proceedings.
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