Leopards of Wilpattu

4th October 2023 at 9.50am a young male leopard in the large glade between Thammanna Wala and Kukulkatuwa junction.    N 08.35515, E 080.12266

It was lying down behind a termite hill and the view was obstructed by small bushes and dried twigs ect. Few vehicles had parked at spots where the cat could be seen through the foliage at an angle. The jeep drivers kindly offered to move their vehicles for me to get a few images, but I declined and decided to take my chances by parking at a spot facing the termite hill where the leopard could not be seen. These young cats are quite restless, and it is my experience that it would only be a matter of time before he will stand up to stretch and look over the termite hill. An hour passed and as I was beginning to doubt my judgment he stood up, stretched, and sat on his hunches permitting me to get a few clear images adequate to identify the spot pattern. After some time, he stalked and charged a Land Monitor but was not successful. There after he moved further into the forest and slept on another earth mound. Around 12.30pm the young male walked into the forest.   Upon examining its spot pattern, I noted that this is the young male I have listed as Maha Wewa Road Leopard 7 on my site under Leopards of Wilpattu – Guest section. I was thrilled as this is a new leopard for me and I named it Thammanna Wala Male 2 with the code THWMC 2 for the purpose of my study.