Sunimal Tissera in India – Following a Training Course in Wildlife Conservation and Park Management

Sunimal Tissera at Central Forestry Education and Training Institute of Indonesia

Sunimal Tissera receiving the Diploma in Wildlife Management from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

Sunimal Tissera in Japan

Newspaper articles

TV Programs

Sunimal Tissera with his family

 Who is J. H. Sunimal Tissera? He is one of the most prominent tour coodinators
and wildlife naturalists of Sri Lanka. Born in Colombo,Sunimal was a wildlife lover
even in his childhood.He had made numerous hikes to the nearby wood lands and
 also to the renowned national wildlife parks.The experience gained in his youth 
during these journeys aided him to become wildlife ranger of the Sri Lankan Natio-
nal Department of Wildlife Conservation at a remarkably young age.

    He was enchanted by the animals, birds and the flora and it was
his aim to become a wildlife researcher and Sunimal started his
career as a very young officer in the year 1970. He enjoyed his job
and he quickly excelled in this profession and he become a skilled ranger and poss-
essed a solid and vast knowledge about wildlife.

Appointed as an Officer-In Charge of the Education and Publicity on Wildlife at Yala  National Park, Mr. Sunimal Tissera has conducted numerous and highly informative education programmes in schools located in the surrounding regions of the National Parks of Sri Lanka. He has also conducted and presided over programmes for the teachers of these schools as well.  During his tenure as the Chief Wildlife Warden of the Yala National Park, he organised many Medical Camps for the villagers that inhabit the nearby regions of Yala and more than 25 specialist doctors participated for these camps. Moreover, over 5000 patients were treated and medicine was distributed free of charge to a multitude of people. Additionally, Mr Tissera has also taken the initiative by himself to conduct eradications of invasive plants in the National Parks with the involvement of the nearby students. One of the primary reasons as to why Mr Tissera has engaged in all of these activities is to get closer to the villagers and to give them the message that these valuable and significant Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries belong to them and that the public also benefit from the Wildlife Department.

Various awareness programmes regarding the elephant-human conflict were also conducted along with several elephant drives and an elephant count with the involvement of university students and members of various wildlife societies were conducted by Department of wildlife conservations. Park Planning, Habitat Management, Elephant Conservations was his key subjects during his period in the Wildlife Department. One of the most memorable incidents during this time for Mr Tissera was the capturing processes of the excess wild buffalos and this operation was named as ‘Hatari’. This was a thrilling and also risky yet exciting operation where the wild buffalo was captured by hand, with just ring ropes. During this time, Mr Tissera was in his youth and he was one of the chief leaders of the team. Furthermore, he was a pioneer in creating a ‘map of fire belt required area’ for the Udawalawe National Park and he has also done research about the movement, food consumption, and the diet of wild elephants. In addition to this, Mr Tissera has also tried to introduce the ‘Beru’ grass to the Yala National Park, which is a preferred source of food for elephants in the Lahugala National Park, in the far east of Sri Lanka.