HUMAN-LEOPARD COEXISTENCE INITIATIVE
2023 Update: In 2023, 9 leopard deaths were recorded, remaining consistent with previous years. 67% of these deaths were caused by snares, which are typically laid by humans for other animals to protect crops. Anti-snare campaigning will again launch in 2024 to combat this issue. While over 85% of leopard diet in the Central Highlands is wild prey, according to a WWCT’s analysis of scat sample data, dogs are their 5th most preyed species. In fact, 56% of dog owners in an interviewee sample reported occurrences of leopard predation, which could unfortunately cause unfair negative perceptions of leopards.
Leopard Collaring and Release
WWCT fitted a self-release GPS telemetry collar to a leopard, the first time this has been accomplished in Sri Lanka. This leopard was a young adult male that had been caught in a snare and successfully treated at the Randenigala Wildlife Rescue Centre. The DWC and WWCT released the leopard on the edge of the Randenigala reservoir instead of where it had been caught due to the threat of snares at the original site. However, the leopard swam across the reservoir back to its original familiar area, a phenomenon documented in other leopard relocations in India and Namibia. The swimming of the leopard is extremely rare, and this unusual behaviour is being written up for publication by WWCT.
Introduction & Background
This initiative has grown organically, arisen from the need to address the incidents of leopard mortality and human-leopard related incidents that have occurred recently. Although comparatively and thankfully these numbers are not in alarming proportions, WWCT now sees the need to ensure targeted action is taken so as to prevent the possible escalation of this into a conflict situation such as seen in countries like India.
Through our ongoing work we have also realized that reasons for leopard mortality and human related incidents are varied across the island and a better understanding of the underlying factors influencing this is required so that solutions can be context and location specific.
The WWCT and the DWC would like to come up with long-term solutions to reduce fear and perceived threats from wildcats and to prevent further damage to local livelihood, which is often what causes retaliatory or incidental killing of the leopard. We would like to ensure that endangered wildlife do not become extinct in specific regions, for example the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka, which is now recognized as a natural World Heritage site and where leopard morality is high.