Sri Lanka Leopard Day, the national day for Sri Lankan leopards has been celebrated first time on the 1st of August 2021 and will continue annually. Leopards the integral part of Sri Lanka's natural heritage have been considered to be one of the most famous wildlife species in Sri Lanka. However, leopards are still in the Red- List of threatened fauna and flora in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lanka leopard has spread across the different natural habitats throughout the country. It has spread from the high montane forest to dunes and coastal scrub, from humid lowland rainforests to dry forests subject to long droughts and living in undisturbed habitats where prey is abundant. That accounts for some of the highest population densities of the species anywhere in the world. These leopards may also exhibit a greater tolerance of other members of the species than elsewhere.

Apex of the food chain 

It is of interest that greater diurnal activity is observed among Sri Lankan leopards, probably due to an acceptance of the benign human presence within protected areas. Such unique behavioural traits may stem from the fact that in Sri Lanka this one and the only big cat has been at the apex of the food chain without competitors.

Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)

The Sri Lankan Leopard has a degree of genetic variance that has earned it sub-specific status, known scientifically as Panthera pardus kotiya, the third tri-nominal being the Sinhala name for the leopard. They are known to be solitary and strolls alone except when they are mating or the females having cubs.

Sri Lanka, Best Leopard spotting island

Sri Lanka has considered being the home for the best leopard spotting on the planet and the Yala national park has rated the highest population density of leopards in the world. Therefore, the probability of seeing leopards in Yala is 99%. With compared to Yala, Wilpattu national park has the highest number of leopards. But they spread throughout the park. Kumana national park is also famous for seeing leopards. They are somewhat shy in Kumana because they are not used to vehicles that much. Udawalawe and Horton plain national parks are the other 2 parks where leopards can be seen rarely in Sri Lanka.

Read more on Leopards: https://www.fantasiatours.com/blogs/view-blog/leopards-in-yala

Itineraries for seeing Leopards: https://www.fantasiatours.com/itineraries/view-itinerary-base/22