Keeping everyone informed
On the 1 st of August each year, conservationists and the public in Sri Lanka take a break from the mundane to call out our National Leopard Day. Based on a proposal made by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka (WNPS) to the Department of Wildlife, the day was picked to coincide with the thesis date where Dr. Sriyanie Miththapala confirmed Panthera Pardus Kotiya as an endemic sub species. But the question of what this day is supposed to deliver is still evolving. What is certainly evolving in the wrong direction is the number of confrontations being faced with leopards, and the increased reporting of leopard deaths due to snares and other reasons. One wonders about the correlations between trends on this front.
The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) is one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic and charismatic wildlife species. As the island’s only large predator, it plays a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance of Sri Lanka’s diverse ecosystems. The Sri Lankan leopard is a subspecies endemic to the country and is one of the largest leopard subspecies in the world.
To me, the leopard, with its dappled coat, perfectly crafted by nature for camouflage, is the epitome of strength and grace in movement. To me, the leopard is an animal on which I focused for many years of my student life and about whose well-being, my passion continues to this day.
Leopards in Horton Plains National Park exhibit unique adaptations to their cold, mist-covered environment, including larger body size and thicker underfur, which align with Bergmann’s rule Geographic isolation and environmental pressures can lead to the formation of new subspecies through genetic divergence and reproductive isolation Despite their distinct habitats, Sri Lankan leopards do not currently meet the criteria for subspeciation.
Embarking on a visionary restoration journey, Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC (TTE PLC) and WNPS PLANT jointly initiated one of the largest ecosystem restoration projects in recent times. This exciting but challenging, project in the central highlands aims at reforesting and creating a continual 13 km long forest passage bordering the Nanu Oya and Agra Oya banks, and will be supported by potentially different partners for each segment of the corridor, a WNPS news release said.