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Giant's Tank Sanctuary
கட்டுக்கரை குளம் சரணாலயம்
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Giant's Tank SanctuaryLocation within Northern Province
Location	Northern Province
Nearest city	Mannar
Coordinates	08°51′30″N 80°03′45″E / 8.85833°N 80.06250°E / 8.85833; 80.06250
Area	43 km (17 sq mi)
Established	24 September 1954 (1954-09-24)
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

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. It had an area of 3,941 ha (9,738 acres) in 1990. It currently has an area of 4,330 ha (10,700 acres).

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

Flora and fauna

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

References

1. ^ 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.
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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Category

• IUCN Category IV
• 1954 establishments in Ceylon
• Important Bird Areas of Sri Lanka
• Madhu DS Division
• Protected areas established in 1954
• Protected areas in Northern Province, Sri Lanka
• Wildlife sanctuaries of Sri Lanka