Abstract:
Leopard (Panthera parduskotiya) remains the top carnivore in central highlands of
Sri Lanka. Human-leopard interactions amplified due to the increased sharing of
leopard habitats by humans, especially in plantation landscapes in central highlands.
Increased media reporting and community awareness may also be contributing to the
knowledge and reporting the incidents. Incidents causing life loss or injuries to
people, domesticated animals or leopards over the past 20 years were studied with
the support of a questionnaire survey. The study was conducted in upper reaches of
Kelani river basin within Nuwara Eliya District, with reference to 65 tea estates in
Kehelgamuwa Oya and Maskeliya Oya sub-basins. Forty-five leopard deaths out of
64 human-leopard incidents have been recorded in the study area between 2001 and
2020, with an average of 3 (±1.18SE) incidents and an average of 2.25 (±0.35SE)
deaths of leopards per year. A majority (90.6%) of incidents were reported in
unprotected landscapes while 45.3% of leopard deaths occurred due to snaring.
There were 11leopard attacks associated with domestic dogs, while leopards had
attacked people in nine occasions in defensive acts, causing one human death within
the study area. However, zero leopard attacks in the study area were reported on
livestock, while such incidents have occurred elsewhere from unprotected estate
lands in Nawalapitiya and Pussellawa. Human-leopard incidents in the study area
have shown a four-fold escalation with a six-fold increase in leopard deaths over the
past 20 years, indicating signs of the issue developing into a conflict unless effective
management actions are implemented. A blend of actions including behavioural and
safety precautions for human and domestic animals, inculcating positive perception
on leopards and involving to reduce snaring can lead to a solution, mitigating
negative interactions and supporting wider human-leopard coexistence in Study area.
