THE Sri Lanka Cultural Affairs Ministry is distributing wasp jackets to tourists climbing the Sigiriya rock fortress, one of Sri Lanka’s famous cultural heritage sites.
This move comes after several tourists including a Buddhist monk were attacked last month by wasps while climbing the rock, a local newspaper the Daily Mirror reported.
The Sigiriya rock fortress was closed temporarily following wasp attacks. Some 2O people including two foreigners received hospital treatment after being stung, while at least 60 hikers, two foreigners and four children were subjected to a subsequent wasp attack.
Wasps in the rock were apparently setting up their hives, reported eTurbonews.com and authorities were trying to establish at how they might have been aroused.
An official from the ministry was reported as saying in The Daily Mirror that an order of 1,000 jackets has been placed by the government as currently only 40 jackets were available for visitors.
“Earlier we had this system of issuing jackets to the visitors but after some time, as there was no threat of wasps, we stopped it. However, now we have decided to implement the system again to protect the visitors,” the official said.
Sigiriya- meaning lion’s rock -- is an ancient rock fortress and palace ruin surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures.
The rock, about 160 km north east of the capital Colombo, is a popular tourist destination within the cultural triangle, which includes five of the seven world heritage sites of Sri Lanka.