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Conservation of Sri Lankan Leopards

03 Aug 2021

By Chathuranga Dharmarathne Sri Lanka is a humid tropical island, lying in the South Asian region to the southwest of the Indian peninsula in the Indian Ocean. When considering the geography and topography of Sri Lanka, three height levels or erosion levels are recognised by their height and slope features. Sri Lanka has always been well known for its high level of biodiversity and wildlife. It is rated as one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots, and has the distinction of having established possibly the world’s earliest wildlife reserves. Sri Lanka currently has 22 national parks, which account for approximately 12% of the land area of the entire country. These parks, and the rest of the country, harbour a wide range of fauna and flora, many of them endemic to Sri Lanka. Also, Sri Lanka boasts a wide and unique range of wild animal spectacles. It is the only place in the world where one can see the largest concentration of leopards, in the area of the Yala National Park.  The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya), is an endangered, endemic subspecies, and the island’s only apex predator. As a probable keystone species, the leopard’s ecological value in Sri Lanka is likely high. These elusive and secretive creatures are extremely challenging to locate in the wild; and many wildlife enthusiasts globally travel to great ends to locate this specimen. However, fortunately, it is not the same in Sri Lanka. According to some wildlife researchers, Sri Lankan national park (Yala), has the highest population density of leopards in the world and incidentally, Yala was known back then as a hunting ground for the British elites, which is now home to the best sightings of leopards in a park. There had been a remarkably large number of leopards in the jungles of Sri Lanka before the colonial era. With the arrival of British colonial rulers, the pristine rainforest cover of the island commenced to decline in order to make room for plantations. In other words, the living habitat of the wild animals such as leopards and other felids were encroached by the British planters. To make it worse, hunting became a popular sport among the wealthy British people. The result was worse than expected, and the number of wild animals considerably reduced within a short period of time. As a result of that, around the latter part of the ‘90s, most wild animals are listed as endangered animals on the island. The killing spree slowed down as hunting was terminated and wildlife reserves started in the early ‘90s; however, animal killing is still reported in several places in Sri Lanka. Killing a leopard is a huge offence, which causes heavy fines and imprisonment. Still, there are isolated incidents in Sri Lanka in which the animals are being killed for their skin and canine teeth. Most of the time they are found while they are trapped in snares and traps, while gunshot injuries are also a major reason for deaths among the leopards. One unfortunate incident was reported in 2009 from the Sinharaja region, where the first-ever black leopard was found on the island. At the time of discovery, it was already dead as a fatality of a trap. Recently (26 March 2020), another black leopard had been trapped in a snare near Nallathanniya and later died due to the injuries. Hence, the number of leopard kills seems to be on an increase for the last few years. There were few incidents recorded in the past, but there are probably many such incidents which are not disseminated in the country. These incidents show the lack of immediate consideration of the government in order to protect these amazing creatures before they become extinct forever. The Sri Lankan leopard has been classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and is a leopard subspecies that is native to Sri Lanka. The population of leopards, which is not larger than 1000 animals, is declining due to a multitude of reasons, which includes poaching, and human-leopard conflict. Historically, the Sri Lankan leopard was found in all habitats throughout the country which consists of the wet zone, dry zone, and the arid zone. Leopards have been mainly observed in dry evergreen monsoon forests, arid scrub jungles, rainforests, low and upper highland forests, as well as wet zone intermediate forests. Now the population has been limited to certain areas of the country which value the conservation of these creatures. Leopards are considered nocturnal animals, but they are also encountered during the daytime, mainly during early mornings and late afternoons. These creatures usually hunt alone, except during the mating season or when mother and cubs are encountered in the wild. The Sri Lankan leopards are carnivorous and feed on a variety of species such as hares, sambhurs, langurs, and rats. Eating patterns may also include frogs, birds, reptiles, other types of rodents, and even insects. This Sri Lankan subspecies of leopards can be named as the largest subspecies of its kind in the world. Some visit Sri Lanka mainly to view leopards, as it is a favourite subject of wildlife enthusiasts and is widely photographed. The Sri lankan leopard has been protected under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance since 1964, the first wild cat to be given legal protection, while in the 1993 amendment to the ordinance, leopards were titled as fully protected species. The last amendment to the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance in 2009 moved leopards into the newly established “strictly protected species” category, making it an offence to maim, injure, harm, or kill a leopard, or to keep a live animal, a dead body, or any part of a body. With regards to leopards,it is also an offence to sell or expose, to sell a dead body or any part, or trade in live animals. The offences expand to the use of any implement, instrument, or substance to commit any of these offences. Furthermore, all these offences are deemed to be cognisable offences, that is, the offender can be arrested without a warrant. They are, in addition, deemed to be non-bailable offences as well. Habitat losses, hunting for trade, and fragmentation have become reasons for the Sri Lankan leopard to rapidly decline in numbers. Research is carried out regularly to strengthen conservation measures of the Sri Lankan leopard. Furthermore, there is a significant lack of knowledge about the abundance of leopards outside the national parks and human-dominated areas. Therefore, it is vital to get more information through research to fulfil this gap in the conservation of this valuable species. Apart from that, conservation of natural habitats occupied by leopards provide direct and indirect benefits to people that depend on healthy and functioning ecosystems. Surprisingly, little is known about the regulatory and supporting service values provided by natural habitats, and thus studies are urgently needed to determine how different land-use affects them. Although we have a reasonable understanding of prevailing land-use in leopard habitats, we remain ignorant of other essential services for the well-being offered by such habitats. There is an urgent need for undertaking ecosystem service assessments and for understanding the primary drivers of change within leopard habitat, nationally and regionally. The protection of biodiversity is another important ecosystem service. The risk of carnivore extirpation is probably best minimised by enabling local people to benefit from carefully targeted incentives for sustained co-existence with leopards, and by capitalising on opportunity costs and cultural values that underpin community-based conservation actions. Sustained investment in social capital is an important element to encourage effective, genuine, and equitable resource management. This, in turn, may require financial and technical inputs from external agents, who may also need to assume some of the cost of long-term monitoring. In effect, local people need to both receive and perceive tangible benefits from their willingness to co-exist amicably with leopards and other wildlife. Therefore, by conserving this particular species, the whole ecosystem can be conserved through ensuring the ecological balance of the natural habitats. Most researchers have confined their research in the national parks and already protected areas, but still, all these human-leopard conflict incidents were recorded near human settlements which were outside the protected areas. This is a huge concern when applied to leopard conservation, management implications, and policy making. Hence, it is required to consider the population of the leopards within and outside the protected areas, and to have conservation and management actions to cover both these populations. With the “Felidae Carnivora Project” these important habitats will be identified, which are very crucial to the survival of Sri Lankan leopards. In a global context, the leopard is classified as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN and is listed on the Convention in the Trade in Endangered Species (CITES): Appendix I. It is said that there are less than 1,000 leopards remaining in the wilds of Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the subspecies found in Sri Lanka is endemic, found nowhere else on Earth. However, a number of leopards continue to be killed each year, both deliberately and coincidentally, taking a toll on the already low population. This animal is included in the National Red Data List as a threatened species within Sri Lanka. It is very obvious that time is fast running out for this appealing creature, and therefore urgent management action is needed to save this unique population for the next generation. The reasons for the rapid decline of the leopard population in Sri Lanka are due to habitat loss and fragmentation, and hunting/poaching for trade, and due to pest control. Skins and canines are widely traded in Sri Lanka. The canine is worn as a talisman by some village folks as it is said to bring about good fortune, while certain parts of the animal are eaten, or applied to traditional medicine. Unfortunately, there are some records of over six specimens of leopards being poached in areas around national parks which were well protected by the DWC. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to be aware of the present population trends, ecology, and human-leopard conflict in Sri Lanka. Scientific ecological research and studies will be the key to answer these issues in the future, to conserve these valuable living creatures on the Island. (The writer is BSc. MPhil in Zoology [USJP] and Senior Field Biologist Felidae Carnivora Project)


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