Leopards of Wilpattu

30th June 2024 at 9.36am one leopard at Kumutu Wila. N 08.45958, E 079.97339

I drove down to Kumutu Wila to check on the young leopard I observed yesterday and spotted him at the same location with the help of my binoculars. I was quite certain now that this young male, Kumbuk Wila Male 2 (KWMC 2) had made a kill which is lying inside the forest.

10.36am the young leopard started to look intently in the direction of the forest and moved hurriedly into the forest. As he did, the forest reverberated with the loud growls of two leopards, and one ran out into the open with a partly eaten leg of a Wild Boar in its mouth. It was our young leopard, the Kumbuk Wila Male 2. He then crouched down holding on to the chunk of meat and continued to growl while looking in the direction of the forest. In less than a minute a big male leopard walked into the open from where the young leopard moved out, casually marked the bushes without looking in the direction of the younger male. He did not show any aggression and walked away from the young leopard into the forest. KWMC 2 watched every move of the older leopard while continuing to growl with his head lowered to the ground. Thereafter he carried the Wild Boar leg and walked back into the forest. Upon examination of the spot pattern, I noted that the big male was Nelum Wila Male 5 (NWMC 5), the dominant male in the core area of the park. I have seen this big male attacking and casing away bigger male leopards and claiming their kills. During the dry months when this water body was a small pool of mud this male drove a younger male in to the mud at this very location. In my opinion the reason for this tolerance and nonaggressive behaviour by this usually very aggressive male was his relationship to the younger male. The mother of this young male, Kumbuk Wila Female 2 (KWFC 2) popularly referred to as Cleopatra, is one of the females whose territory is well within the territory of this dominant male. There are many records of them mating regularly. Thus, even though female leopards are known to mate with other males while the dominant male is not around, it is very likely that he is the father of this young male and even if not, he believes it to be his offspring.

11.06am the young male emerged from the forest, looked in the direction where the bigger male walked into the forest and walked back to this place of rest.

11.25am while parked at Kumutu Villu to observe the leopards, two Common Mynahs flew down from a nearby tree and started to walk among the Pipeworts Eriocaulon sp commonly referred to in Sinhala as Kok Mota. They would walk up and down the fields of “Kok Mota” until they flush out a small species of moth that would fly up only to the pursued by the birds and caught. Once they feed on a few they retire back to the trees only to fly down again after an hour or so to catch their “fast food” again.

12.00noon the leopard walked out of its place of rest looked again in the direction where the big male moved into the forest, growled a bit and walked back into the forest, perhaps to feed on his “kill”. The growl could well be due to the big male lying nearby and the younger male detecting his scent.

12.05pm walked back to his place of rest.

12.46pm walked back to the forest in the direction of the kill.

12.57pm walked back to his place of rest.

3.19pm walked back to the forest in the direction of the kill.

3.34pm walked back passing his usual place of rest to the water’s edge. A large Mugger Crocodile moved hurriedly into the water with quite a splash. The young leopard stopped momentarily, snarled a few times, but moved up to the edge of the water and started to drink. Thereafter he moved back to his place of rest, and I decided to leave.

29th June 2024 at 3.31pm one leopard at Kumutu Villu. N 08.45954, E 079.97343

Safari jeep driver Pasindu was parked at the point one exists Kumutu villu towards kanjuran and indicated by flashing the hazard lights of his vehicle, the presence of a leopard. I scanned with my binoculars and managed to spot the leopard. It was lying on the ground a few feet from the water’s edge but was not visible to the naked eye due to be well camofladged behind a Thimbiri branch. I managed to get a few images when the leopard moved position. The park authorities have advanced the time for all day visitors to exit the park to 6pm thus I decided to wait until 4.15pm and leave. As I was getting ready to leave at 4.14pm the leopard moved out of its place of hiding, walked along the edge of the forest and moved into the forest. Later upon examining its spot pattern I was pleased to note that this is Kumbuk Wila Male 2 (KWMC 2), one of the two male cubs of the first litter of Kumbuk Wila Female 2 (KWFC 2) popularly referred to as Cleopatra. This male was born in September 2020 thus he is 3 years and 9 months old. Safari jeep drivers told me that they saw a young male leopard at Kumutu Villu yesterday in the morning as well as in the evening. Considering all these facts and its behaviour I suspected that the young leopard had made a “kill”. I left to reach the park entrance with the thought of visiting Kumutu Villu again in the morning next day.

6th January 2023 at 2.15pm one leopard at Kuruttupandi villu. N 08.43656, E 079.98228

I drove down to Kuruttupandi villu from Manik Wila. The vehicle which was behind me turned on to the Kuruttupandi upper road. Having checked the villu I drove on to the upper road. A vehicle was stopped, and the guide signaled that a leopard had been on the road and moved in the direction of the villu. I reversed and drove down to the villu again. Despite there being no leopard in view the frantic alarm calls of a Giant Squirrel and the alarm calls a few Indian Palm Squirrels indicated that the leopard was close. After some time one vehicle parked across the villu signaled me to come over. I arrived at the spot to see a young leopard lying on a patch of white sand at the edge of the forest. It was Kumbuk Wila Male 2 (KWMC 2), one of the two male cubs of Kumbuk Wila Female 2 (KWFC 2), referred to as Cleopatra. Around 2.50pm with sunlight becoming strong the leopard moved under a Madan tree and was only visible with the help of binoculars. Most safari jeeps left but I decided to wait. At 3.27pm he moved out again and was watching the Spotted Deer feeding in the villu until 3.47pm and moved back under the tree again.
On the 4th of November 2022 I photographed both these cubs with their mother at Madangaha Wala at Kokkare Villu, which was the last occasion they were seen with their mother.
The young male was looking intently at the Spotted Deer feeding on the plains. The deer did not detect the leopard lying at the edge of the villu.

4th November 2022 at 4.30pm 3 leopards at Madangaha Wala. N 08.41536, E 079.99683

I had received information the previous night, from a guide who was staying at a bungalow inside the park, that a leopard had killed a Sambhur at this locality the previous evening. They had seen the leopards feeding on the kill. When I arrived in the morning the kill nor the leopards were to be seen. It appeared that the kill had been dragged down to the narrow water way by the many mugger Crocodiles that were seen at the location. The swollen bellies of these reptiles suggested that they had helped themselves in the night to the leopards kill. I visited this location on several occasions in the morning during my game drive but there was no sign of the leopards. The foul smell of rotting flesh however, suggested that the kill is yet to be consumed in its entirety and as such the leopards should return. I continued to visit this locality in the evening as well.  When I arrived around 4.30pm, a safari jeep was parked at the location and the driver indicated the presence of a leopard by blinking the hazard lights. There were two leopards and a third joined them shortly after my arrival. The leopards were out in the open despite a strong drizzle. All three of them were together for a few minutes, and I managed to capture some good images depicting interaction between the mother and the two cubs. They licked each other and rubbed their bodies and tails against each other in an exhibition of their affection for each other. One moved down to the water way and the sudden increase in the intensity of the foul smell suggested that the leopard was feeding. Within a short time, the second leopard also moved in the same direction. I was able to identify them without much difficulty as Kumbuk Wila Female 2 (KWFC 2) a female popularly referred to as Cleopatra and her two first litter male cubs Kumbuk Wila Male 1 & 2 (KWMC 1 & 2). These cubs are now two years and two months in age. Usually, leopard cubs are said accompany their mother for about two years and leave to begin lives on their own. However, leopards are far more sociable compared to the other big cats and I have observed many males, females and cubs occupying overlapping territories in the park. Last month there was a record of cubs of two different mothers, Divulgas Mandiya Female 1 (DGMF 1) and Palukola Wala Female 1 (PKWF 1) being together at Divulgas Mandiya. On the 3rd of November 2022 Isuru Chathuranga Dayananda sent me a video he had captured of these cubs together with Divulgas Mandiya Female 1 (DGMF 1) again close to the same location. There have been records in Sri Lanka and in India of male and female cubs continuing to be in the natal area for much longer periods than two years. Dr. Vidya Athreya, a senior scientist of the Wildlife Conservation Society of India who has conducted extensive research on human leopard interactions informed me that she is aware of a male leopard cub in India being in the company of its mother and caring for her the next litter while she away hunting.

1st October 2022 at 5.14pm another leopard on Kumbuk Wila upper road. N 08.41798, E 080.00110

I turned in to Kumbuk Wila upper road with the hope of taking the circular road back to Kumbuk Wila. On the way there were two jeeps parked ahead and they flashed their headlights indicating the presence of a leopard. I immediately stopped the vehicle and turned off the engine. The leopard was lying to the left of the road. My view was obstructed due to a pile of dried sticks. After a few minutes the jeeps moved forward as they had to leave the park and the leopard moved into the forest. I drove forward to turn the vehicle and on my return was pleased to see the leopard had moved back on to the edge of the forest. I quickly got a few images and left to reach the park entrance. The leopard was Kumbuk Wila male 2 (KWMC 2), one of the two male cubs of Kumbuk Wila female 2 referred to as Cleopatra by the safari jeep drivers and the guides. These cubs are now two years of age but still seen with their mother. Usually by this age they should leave to lead independent lives.

12th February 2022 at 1.15pm one Leopard at Thimbiri Wila. N 08.42725, E 080.01084
The animal was hidden by the foliage growing at the edge of the water. After a few minutes the leopard moved under a Madan tree and walked into the forest. I managed to get a few images during the brief period of opportunity. Later upon studying the spot pattern I noted that the leopard was Kumbuk Wila Male 2 (KWMC 2), one of the two male cubs of Kumbuk Wila Female 2 (KWFC 2) popularly referred to as Cleopatra in the park.

14th November 2021 at 3.57pm 2 Leopards between Kumbuk Wila and Kokkare Villu. N 08.42021, E 080.00209

While at Madangaha Wala, safari jeep driver Jeevan Nishantha informed me of two leopards on a sand patch between Kokkare Villu and Kumbuk Wila. I arrived at the spot and observed an adult female and a young male. It was Kumbuk Wila Female 2 (KWFC 2) and one of her male cubs Kumbuk Wila Male 2 (KWMC 2). These cubs are now one year and 3 months old and should leave the mother in a few months to look for territories of its own and lead solitary lives. The cub is quite affectionate towards his mother and licked the back of her head. The adult female did not reciprocate the affection towards her son. She expressed her displeasure by growling at him. This is typical female leopard behavior when the cubs reach around 1 and a half years. The females almost overnight become increasingly less tolerant of their cubs in a bid to drive them away from their territory. I have observed this behavior with many females with cubs.

6th September 2021 at 2.00pm two leopards at Thimbiri Wila. N 08.42732, E 080.01073

I arrived at Thimbiri Wila from Mahapatessa at 10.30 and decided to park and wait at this locality. As I photographed Kumbuk Wila Female 2 (KWFC 2) in the morning I expected the cubs also to be in the vicinity and that they would move out to drink towards evening. Around 2pm as expected Kumbuk Wila Female 2 (KWFC 2) the mother walked to the edge of the forest and in a few minutes one of her cubs the Kumbuk Wila Male 2 (KWMC 2) walked up to her. Thereafter both leopards were lying down close to each other. Our patience paid off when around 3.47pm the mother, KWFC 2 walked to the edge of the water followed by her cub KWMC 2 to drink. Having quenched their thirst, the mother lay down in the open, but the cub swiftly moved into the forest. In a few minutes the mother also followed the cub into the forest

4th September 2021 at 11.28am 3 Leopards on Kumbuk Wila upper road. N 08.41846, E 080.00845

We drove on to Kumbuk Wila upper road and safari Jeep driver Hiranjan Dilshan informed us that Cleopatra and the two cubs had been seen about half an hour ago on this road. We waited for about an hour expecting them to move back on to the road but had no success. Around 11.25am a Ceylon Jungle Fowl and few Indian Palm Squirrels started making alarm calls and we were able to spot the leopards lying together about 15 feet from the edge of the road. The two cubs that I have listed under Leopards of Wilpattu – Guest section as Maha Wewa Leopard 3 & 4 were seen with their mother Kumbuk Wila Female 2 (KWFC 2). Even though the cats were partly covered in foliage I was thrilled as this was my first sighting of these cubs. The first images I received of these cubs were from Dr. Rishani Gunasinghe in February 2021 where I estimated their age to around 5 months. They are about a year old now. Considering the location, of my first sighting I named them Kumbuk Wila Male 1 (KWMC 1) and Kumbuk Wila Male 2 (KWMC 2) for the purpose of my study. Having taken a few record images, I reversed expecting them to move on to the road. But with the arrival of a two more jeeps the cats moved further into the forest.