Wildlife

“The intensity of leopards is reflected in everything they do, each movement, every gesture…” – Dereck Joubert

Sri Lanka is a fantastic location to observe a variety of wild life. The sheer breadth of bio-diversity for an island of this size is staggering.  The wilderness in Sri Lanka is incomparable to any other location in the world.

The Sri Lankan Elephant (Elepas Maximus) is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant and native to Sri Lanka. Colonial big game hunters decimated Ceylon’s large elephant heard that were  once common across the island.Of particular interest to the hunters were Tuskers; only 7% of Sri Lankan elephant males bare  tusks .Today an encounter with the magestic Tusker or any elephant is restricted to small pockets scattered across the jungle. Leopard Trails takes you in to the heart of elephant area in search of the king of beasts.

This tiny island off the south coast of India is home to inhabitants such as sloth bears,golden jackals  many species of primates, Mongoose, Sambar, Mouse Deer, Barking Deer, and spotted deer , Water Buffalo and  Wild Boars. Reptiles and  amphibians include crocodiles and venomous  snakes such as Kraits, Vipers and Cobras plus the more friendly Geckos, Frogs and Lizards. The bird life is extraordinary. Unfortunately  of the more than 80 species of mammals in SriLanka at least 22 are threaten with extinction.

The Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera Padus Kotiya) colloquially known as Kotiya ,is a sub species of Leopard native to Sri Lanka. Yala National Park and Wilpattu National Park in Sri Lanka are well known for their spectacular  year-round Leopard sighting  opportunities . Studies suggest Sri Lanka  has the highest recorded densities of  Leopard in the world. Unlike in African countries and in India, the leopard is the apex predator, at the very top of the Wildlife food chain.

 

Yala National Park Wild Life Images