Leopards of Wilpattu

7th May 2016 at 4.48pm 1 Leopard, Nelum Wila Male 2 (NWMC 2) at Panikkar Villu. N 08.39565, E079.95521
The leopard was sleeping at the edge of the forest. I managed to get a few photos as the young leopard raised its head.
5.30pm we had to leave in order to exit the park on time from the Eluwankulama entrance. (with guide Hafis)

20th March 2016 at 1.19pm, Nelum Wila Male 2 (NWMC 2) at Tala Wila uda para. It was lying down about 40 feet inside the forest and was barely visible. No photography was possible.
1.40pm Nelum Wila Male 2 (NWMC 2) walking in our direction followed by a vehicle between Kohombansanchaipooval water hole and Tala Wila. The leopard walked for about 15 meters and lay down on a shady spot on the road permitting me to take a few photos.  After a few minutes of resting the leopard stood up and resumed his walk forcing me to reverse. I kept on reversing to permit the leopard to move along the road. Having reached the Kohobansanchaipooval water hole it drank water from a small muddy pool on the road. There after moved in to the forest.

I drove to Panikkar Villu and returned to find the leopard seated on the road at Kohombansanchaipooval. After some time it walked in my direction and laid down on a shady spot on the road for some time before resuming its walk. I started to reverse permitting the leopard to move forward. Having got a few photos I permitted the vehicles parked behind me to get in front for a better view.  N 08.38870, E 079.95112
3.06pm left the leopard. (with guide Sanath Priyantha)

19th March 2016 at 4.20pm Nelum Wila Male 2 (NWMC 2), sleeping across Aalam Villu. N 08.40275, E079.95454 We waded around the water body on the road, which is now submerged, to get close to where the leopard that was lying down and parked keeping a distance of about 30 meters from the sleeping leopard.
4.30PM with the arrival of 4 more safari jeeps loaded with local tourists the leopard stood up and started to sniff a nearby bush. There after it moved in to the forest and moved out again passing the vehicles and walked along the edge of the water for about 20 meters before moving in to the forest in the direction of Panikkar Villu. (With guide Sanath Priyantha)

30th January 2016 at 10.24am a male Leopard - between Pallekandal pitiya and Tala Wila.  N 08.38392, E079.92994
The leopard was walking in the direction of Tala Wila. As I followed the animal I maintained a distance of about 50 meters to ensure it is not disturbed.   When the leopard stopped to engage in “scent marking” I managed to get a few photos and it was later identified as the Nelum Wila Male 2 NWMC 2.  Having walked for about 100 meters he stopped, alerted by an alarm call of a Barking Deer. After a few seconds much to my dissatisfaction he moved off the road. As the Leopard moved in to the forest a Mouse Deer ran across the road in the opposite direction.
We drove down to Tala Wila and back a couple of times expecting the leopard to be back on the road but had no luck.

17th January 2016 at 1.44pm one Leopard, Nelum Wila Male 2 (NWMC 2) on Tala Wila Pomparippu road. N 08.38191, E 079.93413
As we spotted the animal it was walking in the direction of Pomparippu resulting in the vehicle ahead to reverse. We stopped and began advancing giving adequate space for the leopard. Both the jeep drivers kept about 50 meters distance from the leopard to ensure that it is not disturbed. It would walk for about 50 meters and stop to engage in “scent marking”.  Other than spraying urine on to a selected bush he would defecate and scrape the ground with its hind feet before resuming its walk.  Having walked for about 10-15 minutes it would lie down on the road. On the 14th of this month guide C.K Dissanayake had photographed a pair of leopards mating at Tala Wila around 5.30pm. Having examined the photos I was able to identify the male as NWMC 2, fondly referred to by the guides as “Y kotiya”.   
Around 2.50pm a Grey Langur gave out an alarm calls from the direction of Tala Wila and the leopard instantly stood up and moved in to the forest in the direction where the alarm calls emanated. After a few minutes both the vehicles drove back to Tala Wila expecting the leopard to arrive at the villu. After waiting for about 15 minutes without any success the second vehicle left and I decided to drive back on the Pomparippu road and was thrilled to see the leopard lying down on the road close to where it entered the forest. Unlike on the previous occasion it was now lying down with its head towards Tala Wila indicating that it would walk back. The leopard had walked 1200 meters on this road from the Tala Wila.
During the sighting a few Indian Palm Squirrels gave out alarm calls but there was no reaction from the leopard. How ever it was immediately alerted by the alarm calls made by the Grey Langur.
At 4.40pm we left the leopard, still sleeping on the road, as we had to reach the park entrance by 6.pm. (with guide Sanath and jeep driver Hemantha)

26th October 2015 at 9.14am 1 Leopard Nelum Wila Male 2 (NWMC 2) at Tala Wila uda para. 
N 08.37896, E 079.94795

We spotted the leopard lying down under a bush facing an open glade. Within a few minutes of the sighting it started to rain very heavily and leopard stood up and trotted in to the forest. Later having examined the photos I realized that this is NWMC 2.  (with safari jeep driver Hemantha)

28th August 2015 at 11.20am I was watching a male Spotted Deer with an impressive pair of antlers coming to water across the villu. All at once the Deer gave out an alarm call and dashed in to the forest. Just then a leopard lifted its head from among the pink Horsefly’s Eye flowers that bloom around these villus during these months. It had stalked a Spotted Deer but was detected before it was able to get close enough to launch an attack. The leopard stood up and walked in to the forest. Having examined the images I was able to identify this leopard. It was Nelum Wila Male 2 (NWMC 2). N 8 24.092 E 79 57.238

11.47am we spotted the leopard under a bush at the edge of the forest it was barely visible without binoculars.
2.03am the leopard is still sleeping at the same locality.
4.04pm 4 Spotted Deer arrived at Aalam Villu, drank water and started to feed on the edge of the water.  Two of the males started to “lock horns”.

4.10pm the tapping sounds emanating from the knocking of antlers made the leopard spring in to action. It crawled out from under the bush and started to observe the deer across the villu intently. Only its head was visible above the grass. After a while the leopard showed interest in a juvenile Crested Hawk Eagle that was flying low and moved out of its place of hiding following the eagle.  The Spotted Deer did not detect the Leopard and continued to gradually move in the direction where the leopard was lying down. After a few minutes the leopard moved in to the forest in the direction of the Spotted Deer. However a troop of Grey Langurs spotted the leopard and started making alarm calls resulting in the deer dashing for cover. Within a short time the leopard walked out of the forest to the edge of the villu and started to drink. It walked back in to the forest thereafter. (with guide Sanath)

4th January 2015 at 6.55am NWMC 2 between Nelum Wila and Panikkar Villu. It was a male cub of about 10-12 months. N 08.39966, E 079.97370

I was driving from Nelum Wila towards Panikkar Villu when we spotted the young leopard seated by the side of the road. It moved in to the forest as we arrived. Having taken a few record shots I drove pass the leopard for about 150 meters before turning the vehicle in order to not disturb the animal. As we approached the spot where the leopard was seen it crossed the road ahead of my vehicle. I stopped the vehicle and was able to get a few better shots to help with the identification. As I expected the leopard to walk towards Nelum Wila drove ahead turned and waited expecting it to walk towards me on the road and it did permitting me to take a number of good images. I was able to observed the leopard for more than an hour. This is my first sighting of this animal and I named it Nelum Wila Male 2 (NWMC 2). (With guide Loku Dinesh)