New hope for Leopard rescue operations in Sri Lanka

Wednesday, 13 January 2021 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

WNPS Vice President and Head of Wild Cats Committee Spencer Manuelpilla, DWC Veterinary Department Director Dr. Tharaka Prasad, Dr. Nihal Pushpakumara of DWC, Project Coordinator Rapti Dirckze, and WNPS General Secretary Jehan Canagaretna

Light-weight aluminium cages were donated by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) to the Department of Wildlife recently, to be used for wildlife rescue operations.

As Sri Lanka’s top predator, and its only big cat, the leopard plays a critical role in Sri Lanka’s wilderness habitats. The leopard is an umbrella species and so, conserving leopards protects many other species in the same habitat.

Since 2008, the Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera padus kotiya) has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Sadly, a total of 12 leopard deaths have been recorded so far in 2020 alone, out of which 11 were due to illegal snaring.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) works hard to try and save as many of these injured animals as possible, however the response time and handling of the injured animal is critical in the treatment and survival of the animal once rescued.

In the recent past, the DWC has successfully rescued and released six leopards, including the most recent rescue at Aranayake. They used a new model of light-weight aluminium cage during these rescue operations which was instrumental to the success of these rescue and releases, as it allowed for rapid response and easy handling of the animal.

Two more of these light-weight aluminium cages were donated to the DWC by the WNPS to be used for future wildlife rescue operations around the island. The new units donated by the WNPS are just 30 kg in weight, compared to the 80 kg units used by the DWC in the past.

The donation was made by General Secretary Jehan Canagaretna, Vice President and Head of Wild Cats Committee Spencer Manuelpillai and Project Coordinator Rapti Dirckze on behalf of the WNPS. Of the two cages donated, one was funded through the Dr. Ravi Samarasinghe Trust Fund of the WNPS and dedicated to Dr. Ravi Samarasinghe, who has carried out pioneering research on the Leopards of Sri Lanka. The second cage was donated with the kind support from wildlife enthusiasts Namal Kamalgoda and Kithsiri Gunawardena. The cages were accepted by DWC Veterinary Department Director Dr. Tharaka Prasad and Dr. Nihal Pushpakumara of DWC.