Katharina Raaben, Head Naturalist at Uga Ulagalla

Katharina Raaben is the Head Naturalist at Uga Ulagalla, a position she has held since 2020. Born in Germany, she moved to Sri Lanka in 2018 after falling in love with her now husband, a Sri Lankan native. Fascinated by animals and wildlife since childhood, she credits Heinz Sielmann – the “German David Attenborough”, according to Katharina – with inspiring this lifelong passion. She holds a firm belief that there is nothing better than walking in nature, wherever in the world one might be.

In her role at Uga Ulagalla, which is set within a 58-acre estate near the ancient city of Anuradhapura, in Sri Lanka’s famous cultural triangle, she is responsible for overseeing the resort’s conservation efforts, observing and monitoring the local wildlife and educating guests and the team on the importance of protecting these native species and their habitat.

In 2020, she set up the award-winning Elephant Research Centre (ERC) at Uga Ulagalla. Established in an effort to conserve the elephant population in Sri Lanka while also helping to resolve the human elephant conflict abundant in and around the Anuradhapura area, the centre is run by a well-trained team of individuals led by Katharina as Head Naturalist, in-house guides and members of the local community. Guests of the resort can visit the centre to learn about Sri Lankan elephants and the research work of the ERC.

Prior to her Sri Lankan move and joining the Uga family, Katharina worked in South Africa as a Safari Guide for Return Africa, completing just shy of 500 hours of on-foot guiding within dangerous game areas of Kruger National Park. During this time, she achieved a number of guiding and wildlife qualifications, including certifications in tracking and signing, firearm rifle proficiency, wilderness first aid, birding, trail guiding and more.

What is the role of a naturalist primarily?

For me personally, the main role of a naturalist is being the bridge and connecting part between the natural world that surrounds us and the individual itself. My main goal in every experience with our guests is to create a deep emotional connection between them and what they see and surrounds them. Even though we as humans are also all part of this natural world we have lost all our skills and senses. We have lost the ability to hear the birds, we lost the ability to smell the fragrances that a forest sends off, and we don’t feel the soft mist touching our faces in the morning hours mixed with the first rays of sunlight and even worse we can’t quite of even see what’s right in front of us.

So being a naturalist I of course study, research, educate and be an advocate for nature but most important I want to inspire people and make them aware of all the wonders that surrounds them. As a Naturalist I am not inventing new things, I am supporting our guests to see and feel what is surrounding them all the time anyway and make them aware how vulnerable the environment is and what impact we have on it.

What is your advice to aspiring naturalists and where can they get training that is required for this job profile?

If you would search the internet “how to become a naturalist’ the first recommendation that pops us is – get a degree, join a good organization, gain work experience and apply for internships. I am not saying that is wrong and developing yourself is always about learning and growing. I myself have joined programs in South Africa and Botswana and I can say that the people I met and what they taught me had a huge impact and helped me to be where I am right now. They of course did this by educating me about all sorts of things. But honestly if I had put in the effort I could have gained a lot of basic knowledge from books by myself. The main difference and what made it special is that they made me feel it. And I am so grateful for that. Books tell you a lot but you are not a good naturalist just because you know the name of a bird. People have apps nowadays and don’t need a naturalist to identify them. You as a naturalist need to see the things that are not mentioned in the books and are only visible in this special moment.

So having studied your bird book you easily might be able to identify the weaver bird and you proudly announce the name of the species to your guest. Well done, but what comes next? Your guest will take a picture and you move on. But that’s wrong. Do you see this little guy working his mind off? Weaver birds are the masters of all nest builders and the efforts they put in to create the best and most perfect nest is critical to attract the mate. Their whole life is focused and circles on it. Look at them and see the struggle of how the first attempts fall apart and they keep trying and trying and developing themselves until they eventually create that perfect nest. Get the guest involved and let them see this little guy working so hard to achieve his goal. Seeing these things and sharing it with your guest is nothing you can learn from books. But this is what makes a good Naturalist.

So Naturalists can be you and me, anyone who pays an impassioned attention to the world surrounding us and has a curious mind and cares.

Not everyone can afford higher studies and is able to participate in courses in other countries. They are helpful and personally I don’t want to miss a single hour I was privileged to spend with my mentors that helped me grow but in the end, they just guided me. They gave me a helping hand but you by yourself define what kind of naturalist you are. Be passionate, focused and make yourself aware that you never stop learning. I still learn day by day and see new things. Surround yourself with people that share the same passion and learn from each other and don’t stop growing.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

The most challenging part of my job is actually to make people understand that I am doing much more than just pointing out elephants to guests. And also turn exactly these people into people that experience and understand the difference. I am a Naturalist and Conservationist. For me it is about making a difference for the environment, the animals and people living there and of course also for my guests. Doing good doesn’t always make you friends and not everyone appreciates your work. You need endurance and persistence to have an impact.

 When are you happiest?

That is an easy one. Still I would split it into two answers. First of all it is more nature and less people. I call it my type of meditation. Spending time in nature all by yourself and soaking it all in. To be quiet and calm and feel and sense what surrounds you is an exceptional experience and treat to me.

But it was not always like that. And that leads me to my second answer. During my time developing I always had people that inspired me and through them I achieved a level that allowed me to feel moments as I just described in my first answer. But one day it happened. A fellow naturalist I worked with for a while commented on something I shared online. She thanked me for mentoring her and being a true inspiration and role model. The funny thing is I was never officially her mentor but I inspired her and made her grow, even though unknowingly to me. So what makes me most happy? Yes, if I have an impact and inspire people and help them to connect with nature.

What was the thought behind coming up with ERC (Elephant Research Centre)?

For me personally it was never about we come up with the ERC and let’s think about doing something. I always like to say the ERC was meant to be and it asked to be set up by itself. I joined Uga Ulagalla just at the peak of Covid about 4.5 years ago and my main target was to create new experiences as the new Head Naturalist. Little did I know at that point that Uga Ulagalla already had everything laid out and it just had to be discovered. The property and the surroundings are a paradise not only for the guest staying at Ulagalla. Within the property we talk about 58acres, 58 green acres! We spotted about 140 different bird species in a short period of time, we had otters, loris, fishing cats, monitor lizards, monkeys, and so many more animals in and around the property which most probably have always been there but have just been overlooked. We set up camera traps to discover more and one day a beautiful tusker walked past our camera. This was the very first sighting for me at Ulagalla of an elephant and it has been a journey for me since then with this specific tusker. But this would be another long story to talk about.

But being fascinated by the abundance of wildlife it didn’t take long to also become aware of the struggles between man and animal. Uga Ulagalla is situated outside the touristy areas and surrounded by rural villages. The real Sri Lanka.

Farming is the main income and occupation of the people living in this area. Paddy fields cover vast areas which look stunning and have their own charm. Paddy Magic. Still this area is also home to elephants. Elephants that have lost their natural habitat due to deforestation for paddy farming and the set up of villages. Now elephants and villagers are forced to share the same area. Based on its size Sri Lanka has the highest density of elephants in the world and unfortunately by now also the highest rate of Human elephant conflicts. Uga Ulagalla is situated in the red zone with the highest level of conflicts, also deadly for humans as well as elephants. Besides finding out more about the local elephant population we got more and more aware about the issues that are present. This is when Uga got active and we decided to set up the Elephant Research Center. We are aware that we can’t solve the Human Elephant Conflict but due to our field research and local projects we try to mitigate the issue and create a relief and betterment for the villagers as well as elephants that still call this area home.

How is it like working in Sri Lanka and what makes this country unique? 

Me being a foreigner (I am German) working in Sri Lanka has of course been a journey and an adventure. I left Germany quite a while ago and I was working in South Africa as a Guide before I moved to Sri Lanka. I can honestly say that at the beginning the main reason to move to Sri Lanka was my husband who is a Sri Lankan National. Having my husband Haritha at my side and supporting me in settling in made my start in Sri Lanka much easier than for others. But beside this there is something very unique and special about Sri Lanka. There is a difference between living in a country and calling it home.

Sri Lanka is welcoming and the people are good hearted and warm. Hospitality is on a different level in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankans are lovely people and they are not nice because you are a tourist or foreigner and expect something of you, they are just honest nice people. Quite often I experience the less they have the more they are offering you. They are proud of their country and appreciate you, as a foreigner, spending time in their home country. Values as family and taking care of each other are highly maintained and that is actually something which seems to get lost in a lot of other cultures these days.

So what can I say? Sri Lanka became my home so quickly, maybe the highest compliment I can give to a country. And I am grateful for Sri Lanka for letting me become a part of it.

Which are your most favorite cities for food and travel?

I am caught between mountains, the beach side and of course elephants when I travel. The cloud forest in the Knuckles Mountain Range close to Kandy are stunning and are a refreshing change with its cooler climate in comparison to the hot climate around Uga Ulagalla and Anuradhapura. Still I need to treat myself with a few beach days here and there in-between. And honestly what the point of living on an island without visiting the beach. One of my favorite beaches is on the east coast around Trincomalee. Uga Jungle Beach, our sister property, is located there too and is luxury and perfectly situated between the white beaches and mangroves.

But yes the elephants always let me draw back to the heart of the country though or it takes me to Yala in the south. Our sister property Uga Chena Huts is absolutely stunning and just boundering the Yala National Park. This is the place to get the full safari experience and one of the rare places you actually get to see elephants on the beach if you are lucky. Adding the foodie factor to my 3 destinations Trincomalee is up front. There is nothing more tasty than freshly caught seafood that comes straight from the fishermen to your table.

What is the USP of your retreat/resort?

It is the authenticity, the historical history, the environment and overall the staff that makes Uga Ulagalla special. Uga Ulagalla is a luxury retreat and surprises with it historical Walawwa, the unique Kamatha restaurant in the middle of our paddy field and its absolutely tasty authentic home cooked dishes by the ladies from the village. Ulagalla offers 58 acres only for 25 villas, each equipped with a private pool surrounded by green lush trees. And most important of course the Elephant Research Center and my naturalist team that is guiding you off the beaten path and creates unforgettable experiences far off the beaten path.

Future plans? 

I want to further grow with my team and keep continuing to make a positive impact. I want to inspire people and make a change no matter how small.