Department of Posts,
Postal Headquarters,
D. R. Wijewardena Mawatha,
Colombo 01000.
The Philatelic Bureau of the Department of Posts will issue four new postage stamps, of in the denomination of Rs. 5.00, Rs. 15.00, Rs. 25.00, Rs. 40.00 on September 07 2010, depicting, Horton Plains National Park, as a 3rd series of stamps depicting National Parks in Sri Lanka.
01) Sri Lanka Arangaya (Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush) – (Rs. 5.00)
Amoung the extinct species, Sri Lanka Arangaya (Sri Lanka whistling Thrush) (Myophomus blighi) can be identified. It can be seen in wet highland and thick jungles, mostly places, where water is abundant. These birds can be easily found in Horton Plains.
Whistling Thrush is an omnivorous and eat small insects, small frogs, worms, and small ripen dan etc. They are in shaded blue in colour but the head is in black-colour. The female ones are in light brown colour.
When the dawn arises through the mountains of Horton Plains, the sounds of these birds can be heard. It sounds like melodious song. During the breeding season mostly male birds make sounds and female one lay 2 (two) eggs at one time.
They make cup shaped cages on trees or bushes near water sheds.
02) Sambur (Cervus Unicolour) – (Rs. 15.00)
One of the wonderful scenery in the Horton Plains, is the big belly samburs, specially when the dust arises. These animale are in dark brown and in 40″-43″ (inches) height (102-160 cm). Fully builded animal weights 300kg. Sambur roam lonely as well as groups. They love to eat rough leaves, grass, unmatured leaves, fruits and small plants, Samburs breed in November & December months in each year. Generally pregnancy period is six month, and lay on baby sambur at one time.
03) Rhinohon Lizard – (Rs. 25.00)
Horton Plains – one of the National Park in Sri Lanka, is situated 20 km to south from Nuwaraeliya and 25km to west from Haputale, Un Katussa (Rhinohon Lizard) who belongs to the class Reptile, can be seen in Horton Plains.
Rhinohon Lizard is an endemic species to the Horton Plains. They roam among the branches of trees, specially in the evening. These animals can expand or contract their bodies, into some extend. The body is covered with unequal Small horn on the top of the mouth, leads to call this animal by “un Katussa”. This Rhinohon Lizard also in the list of extinction.
04) Purple Faced Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus vetulus) – (Rs. 40.00)
When the dawn comes, purple faced leaf monkeys started to roam on the top of 50′ – 60′ (feet) height trees and peeping on its branches. This is common scenery in Horton Plains. They live on top of the trees as 9-8 small groups, but in Sri Lanka these special kind of species is in red list. They love to eat young leaves, fruits and variety of seeds.
Rapid deforestation in Sri Lanka leads, distinction of these monkeys. Sometimes they invade human residences, villages, destroy cultivations and roaming on electric wires. Each and everybody have got duty to protect them, being the good understanding of them.
Philatelic Details
| Date of issue | 2010.09.07 |
| Designer | W. Vasantha Perera |
| Stamp size | 30mm ‹ 70mm 70mm ‹ 30mm |
| Printing process | Offset Lithography |
| Sheet Composition | 10 stamps per sheet |
| Perforations | 13 1/4 |
| Printer | Garsu Pasaulis, Lithuvania |
| Colours used | 4 Process Colours |
| Paper | 102 gsm security stamp paper |
| Gum | PVA |
| Quantity printed | 1,000,000 x 4 |
| Souvenir Sheet | |
| Denomination | Rs. 15.00, Rs. 25.00, Rs. 35.00, Rs. 50.00 |
| Quantity Printed | 10,000 x 4 |
Catalogue Codes
| Rs.5 stamp (Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush) | Sg:LK 2048, Mi:LK 1800, Sn:LK 1758, Yt:LK 1751, WAD:LK030.10 |
| Rs.15 stamp (Sambur) | Sg:LK 2049, Mi:LK 1801, Sn:LK 1759, Yt:LK 1752, WAD:LK031.10 |
| Rs.25 stamp (Rhinohon Lizard) | Sg:LK 2050, Mi:LK 1802, Sn:LK 1760, Yt:LK 1753, WAD:LK032.10 |
| Rs.40 stamp (Purple Faced Leaf Monkey) | Sg:LK 2051, Mi:LK 1803, Sn:LK 1761, Yt:LK 1754, WAD:LK033.10 |
| Rs.15 MS (Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush) | Mi:LK BL116, Yt:LK BF108, WAD:LK030MS.10, Sn:Unlisted |
| Rs.25 MS (Sambur) | Sg:LK MS2052, Mi:LK BL117, Yt:LK BF109, WAD:LK031MS.10, Sn:Unlisted |
| Rs.35 MS (Rhinohon Lizard) | Mi:LK BL118, Yt:LK BF110, WAD:LK032MS.10, Sn:Unlisted |
| Rs.50 MS (Purple Faced Leaf Monkey) | Mi:LK BL119, Yt:LK BF111, WAD:LK033MS.10, Sn:Unlisted |
