Rama Krishna Sangem
BRS former Rajya Sabha MP J Santosh Kumar is undeterred by hot summer. He posted on X this Sunday, June 7, the stunning pics of c leopards of Yala National Park, Sri Lanka. This is Santosh’s weekly dose of photography highlighting nature and wildlife. A majestic leopard leisurely gazing shot on camera by him got around 1,200 views and many likes on X.
Sri Lanka is rich with nature and greenery. Yala National Park is a national park in Sri Lanka, bordering the Indian Ocean and covering 979 km. It was designated as a wildlife sanctuary way back in 1900. “Let’s embrace the wild beauty!” said Santosh in his post.
It hosts diverse ecosystems ranging from moist monsoon forests to freshwater and marine wetlands, and is important for the conservation of Sri Lankan elephants, Sri Lankan leopards and 44 mammal species. It is one of the 70 Important Bird Areas in Sri Lanka harbouring 215 bird species including six endemic species of Sri Lanka.
The area around Yala National Park has hosted several ancient civilizations. Two important Buddhist pilgrim sites, Sithulpahuwa and Magul Vihara, are situated within the park. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami caused severe damage on the Yala National Park, and 250 people died in its vicinity.
This natural forest is centuries old. In 1560 Spanish cartographer Cipriano Sánchez noted Yala in his map “is abandoned for 300 years due to insalubrious conditions”. Chief Justice Sir Alexander Johnston wrote a detailed account on Yala in 1806 after travelling from Trincomalee to Hambantota.
The Sri Lankan leopard
This is a leopard subspecies native to Sri Lanka. It was first described in 1956 by Sri Lankan zoologist Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala. Since 2020, the Sri Lankan leopard has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as the population is estimated at less than 800 mature individuals, and is probably declining.