Sri Lanka Leopard Day
The removal of a top carnivore from an ecosystem can have an impact on the relative abundance of herbivore species . . . In the absence of predators, usually one or two herbivore species come to dominate the community. The consequence is often a direct alteration of herbaceous vegetation near to the base of the food web. Top carnivores have an important role to play in the structuring of communities and ultimately of ecosystems. Thus, the preservation of carnivores becomes an important consideration in the discipline of conservation biology” Dr. John F. Eisenberg
Sri Lanka Leopard Day, which is celebrated annually, was declared based on a proposal put forward by The Wildlife and Nature Preservation Society of Sri Lanka (WNPS)
The 1st of August, a date on which a thesis by Dr Sriyanie Miththapala confirmed Panthera Pardus Kotiya as an endemic sub species has been declared National Leopard Day in Sri Lanka from 2021.
Press articles
The Morning
SL Leopard Day: one step closer to meaningful long-term leopardconservation. we see increased sightings and interactions with leopards. Chief among these reasons is deforestation and forest fragmentation which leads leopards to move through human landscapes more and more.
URL- https://brunch.lk/sl-leopard-day-one-step-closer-to-meaningful-long-term-leopard-conservation
The Sunday Times
109 leopards slain in 12 years, risks rising for 1,000 left
URL - https://www.sundaytimes.lk/220731/news/109-leopards-slain-in-12-years-risks-rising-for-1000-left-490532.html
The Sunday Observer
Hope for the future of Sri Lankan leopards lies in the protected area network and its efficient management; the enforcement of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance throughout the country and related prosecutions; and the education of the younger generation as well as current policy makers as to the importance of conserving the leopard which is an ecological and economic asset, that we are fortunate to share this island with.
The long term conservation of the leopard will involve protection, education, conflict mitigation, responsible custodianship and coexistence.
URL - http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2022/07/30/features/saving-leopard-extinction
The Sunday Island
For the Leopard. Leopards are an integral part of the food chain, and an unobtrusive part of the ecosystem, valuable both for their ecological role and for their exquisite beauty.
URL - https://island.lk/for-the-leopard/
Daily FT
Commemorating 1 August as "Leopard Day" in Sri Lanka will help draw attention to the plight of this magnificent cat and help in the ongoing conservation efforts to protect it.
URL - https://www.ft.lk/columns/In-praise-of-the-Sri-Lanka-leopard/4-738125
The Groundviews
URL - https://groundviews.org/2022/07/30/saving-the-sri-lankan-leopard-from-extinction/