Biography details
Lyn de Alwis , zoo director in Sri Lanka
Born 1930-10-27 in Sri Lanka
dead 2006-11-22 in Sri Lanka
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For five years between 1965-70, Mr de Alwis concurrently held the position of both Zoo Director and Director of Wildlife Conservation
from 1965-1970 and 1977-1983. During those years, he established several sanctuaries and national parks, including the Uda Walawe National Park.
GAJAH 53 (2021) 56-59
During Lyn’s tenure as the Director of the Department of Wildlife, the first intensive
behavioural and ecological studies of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) were conducted in Sri Lanka. In 1966, the Department of Wildlife and the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society made a request to the Smithsonian Institution in the USA to initiate a detailed study of the Sri Lankan elephant. The Smithsonian put together a team that included Drs. Fred Kurt, Melvyn C. Lockhart, George M. McKay, and Robert Olivier with Dr. John F. Eisenberg as the team leader. They conducted their studies from 1967–1978.
Ravi Corea, Gajah 53 (2021) 56-59
Lyn de Alwis with elephant Indi, Dehivela Gardens, 1984.
GAJAH 53 (2021) 56-59
As the 2nd Chairman (1985–1997) of the IUCN/SSC Asian Elephant Specialists Group
(AsESG),
Lyn reached out to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma at the time) and China, which
were all countries that were closed to foreigners.
Ravi Corea, Gajah 53 (2021) 56-59
1996: Colombo´s zoological gardens have been in acute decline and the government has recalled the former director from retirement to serve it as a consultant.