Sri Lanka festival at Hisashiyama Zoo in Nagoya

Tuesday, 9 October 2012 00:37 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Higashiyama zoo in Nagoya organised a special Sri Lanka festival to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Japan and Sri Lanka on Saturday, 6 October in Nagoya, Japan. A large gathering of invitees graced the occasion with Ambassador Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda in special attendance as the Chief Guest.

The longstanding ties between the Higashiyama zoo and the Dehiwela zoo in Sri Lanka dates back to the time when the first two elephants were gifted to the zoo by the Pinnawela elephant orphanage in 2005. At present, these elephants are in good health and the female elephant is to give birth to a baby elephant in a few months.

Ambassador Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda in addressing the gathering acknowledged the untiring efforts of the zoo authorities in organising the event and highlighted the longstanding strong ties between Japan and Sri Lanka and placed special significance on the solidarity shown by both countries in good times and bad.

Examples he cited included when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck Japan, Sri Lanka was quick to respond by extending assistance of a disaster relief team, tea donations, and frequent visits to the disaster struck region to assist the displaced.

The Higashiyama zoo in commemoration of the 60 years of diplomatic ties, named Ambassador Admiral Karannagoda as an honourary director of the Higashiyama zoo, a title only a few privileged foreign dignitaries are awarded; emphasising the special relationship between the two zoological gardens in Japan and Sri Lanka.

In February this year, the Higashiyama zoo engaged in an animal exchange program with the Dehiwela zoo, where the Higashiyama zoo gifted a giraffe and a sea lion to Sri Lanka. They are also currently in discussion with the Dehiwela zoo to receive two Sri Lankan elephants to Japan in exchange for a black rhinoceros to Sri Lanka.

Among the guests of honour who attended the event were Takashi Kawamura, Mayor of Nagoya, Takamoto Nakagawa, Chairman of City Council, Noboru Akahane, Honourary Consul for Sri Lanka in Nagoya and Hidetake Yamamoto, Director General of the Higashiyama Park.

The Higashiyama zoo consists of 820 acres of land and attracts over two million visitors annually. The zoo authorities state that the most popular attractions at the zoo are currently the Sri Lankan elephants and the Australian koala bears.