POSTCARDS N.241/2 - SRI LANKA

Postcard dated of 4 August; received on the 14th August 2026

Postcard image: Fauna of Minneriya National Park - Black naped hare / Yellow striped chevrotain

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Thanks to Ravi, my letterbox was populated with some rather kind looking wild mammals. Bohoma sthuthi, friend.

Black naped hare (Lepus nigricollis)

 Yellow striped chevrotain (Moschiola Kathygre)

Minneriya National Park occupies an 8.9 thousand hectares area in the centre of the North Central Province of Sri Lanka and before it became a National Park in 1997, it already enjoyed Protected area status as a wildlife sanctuary, since 1938.

According to Wikipedia, the park is home to 24 species of mammals, 160 species of birds, 9 species of amphibians, 25 species of reptiles, 26 species of fish, and 75 species of butterflies

On 26JUN2025 Sri Lanka Post issues a very beautiful set of 10 stamps, all of the same denomination (50 Rupees) dedicated to the wild fauna of  Minneriya National Park (cf. covers #614/5/6)  and I presume postcards of all the animals depicted in the stamps were also issued with a view to th creation of maxicards.

Ravi now sent me two of those, using for postage the corresponding stamps in the aforementioned set. The animals depicted in the card and stamps are:

- Black naped hare (Lepus nigricollis)

 A common species of hare, native to the Indian subcontinent, and Java.

- Yellow striped chevrotain (Moschiola Kathygre). 

This small mouse-deer, about the size of a domestic cat, of nocturnal habits, was only described as a new species in 2005. Further to Sri Lanka it can also be found in  India, Myanmar, and Thailand,

On both cards postage was completed with a 20 rupee stamp with a image of a Pale Ceylon line blue, (Nacaduba sinhala), a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family, endemic to Sri Lanka. 

This stamp is part of the 12 stamp issue dated of 01DEC2022, themed on Butterflies of Sri Lanka, that Ravi had also sent me and was the subject of posts regarding covers # 343/4/5.

Postmark from the Sri Lanka Post Headquarters at Colombo, as usual.