What can a Leopard do with a Day?

On the 1 st of August each year, conservationists and the public in Sri Lanka take a break from the mundane to call out our National Leopard Day. Based on a proposal made by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka (WNPS) to the Department of Wildlife, the day was picked to coincide with the thesis date where Dr. Sriyanie Miththapala confirmed Panthera Pardus Kotiya as an endemic sub species. But the question of what this day is supposed to deliver is still evolving. What is certainly evolving in the wrong direction is the number of confrontations being faced with leopards, and the increased reporting of leopard deaths due to snares and other reasons. One wonders about the correlations between trends on this front.

This landscape in Sri Lanka now entails millions of leopard photographs, thousands of photographers, a few hundred serious photographers of whom many wax eloquently about their captures and the great difficulty with which they got the images, many thousands of followers on social media who pat them and each other on the back and thirst for more, a small number of conservationists, researchers and wildlife officials who work hard to try and protect and preserve the leopard’s existence and way of life, and thousands of economically advantaged “leopard lovers” whose interest is mainly to use the leopard for greater commercial gain through safaris, tourism and the likes. Indeed, the Sri Lankan Leopard maybe entitled to feel blessed with all this love and attention, but in real life, things are far from this, and the effort, resources, and funding growth to help leopards in no way reflect this mega “leopard consumption” trend.

Each day, the leopard is etching out an existence in Sri Lanka, hounded outside the wildlife parks by dogs, angry villagers, and greedy politicians and businessmen who keep taking its home territory and forested areas in large chunks for private gain. Each meal is a battle not just against the usual odds that nature has evolved it to face, but rather against poachers, snares, guns, vehicles and more. The notion of a “ceasefire” of even one day, is not something the leopard enjoys. Within the wildlife parks, the jeeps and cameras hunt their every move, at times not even leaving them with space to move between vehicles, and they are forced to live normally and hunt naturally during the nights. Life during the day has been transformed through the limelight that they “enjoy”. Can a “Leopard Day” make any difference to this increasingly difficult life of the leopard?

The notion of our Leopard Day was born not through inspiration but through desperation. Against the backdrop of the tragic death of a beautiful and rare black leopard, I shared a concept note to the WNPS team that a dedicated day for the leopard could make a positive difference and become a rallying call to arms. Our subsequent WNPS proposal to the DWC was accepted and the day officially declared. But what would the leopard want from it? A stronger focus on its’ life, existence, challenges and importance to Sri Lanka would naturally be the starting point. To that end, many individuals and entities have begun to embrace the day and make it a pivotal point for action, awareness and dialogue. WNPS continues to lead that charge but it is increasingly becoming national in its true sense. That is indeed very positive progress.

But beyond that, the leopard with its keen eyesight and night vision, would probably see the hypocrisy, self-promoting aspects, greed and selfishness with which most people embrace the world of the leopard. Were the leopard an accountant, on one side of the equation it would see thousands of photographers spending lavishly on camera equipment and safaris to capture images which satisfy their passions and a few egos. It would see large organizations invest heavily in hotels and massive infrastructure to benefit from those who come on such travels. It would see a nation rake in hundreds of millions in park fees and taxes because of its’ fame. But the list would be a pale comparison on the other side which entails “giving back to the leopard”. The vast majority of “nature lovers” would not be sacrificing any funds for leopard or general conservation. The funds being channeled nationally for the benefit of the leopard and for improving its’ habitat and chances of survival would be a small proportion of income generated. Many large entities would continue to pay lip service to their love for the leopard where their actual rupee investments in leopard or broader conservation would be extremely small or virtually zero. Conservationists like us would be begging for funds from a few committed local and overseas donors to make a difference on the ground. Bureaucracy and outdated regulations and a lack of national vision would make even those efforts an uphill battle.

But being a survivor and an apex predator who has evolved and survived across all continents of the world, the leopard also knows well that cohabitation and mutual existence is key for the future. To this end, the Leopard Day can galvanize the consciousness of the many who have not yet brought about their full backing for leopard conservation efforts. The leopard, through its’ beauty and grace, has the ability to cast a mesmerizing spell on people, and great photography with evocative story telling can surely help bring greater interest to leopard welfare. Nature lovers could start as photographers, but how powerful would the outcome be if more of them were active as engaged conservationists or financial contributors to those efforts? Could their amazing images raise funds for the cause? Articles, presentations and debates on and around Leopard Day can help trigger pivotal actions which will move the needle. Critical topics include the need for broader Veterinary presence, more leopard corridors, aggressive snare removal, better livestock compensation mechanisms, more training, a different Wildlife Park Management regime, and a different visitor culture. These all need more dialogue and new forms of action. Focal days like this will help channel energy into these areas. It will also attract new younger talent towards the cause.

One inspiring example comes from the LOLC Group who has partnered with WNPS to create a Multi- Regional Monitoring System for the Conservation of Sri Lankan Leopards. There remains a pressing need to understand the distribution and behaviour of leopard species outside the range of protected zones. Even as we continue to hear reports of leopard deaths and close interactions between humans and leopards, the Multi-regional Monitoring System will rely on a collaborative research-based model to gain a deeper understanding of the core issues, and this can improve our understanding of the complex dynamics that exist between humans and leopards across the island. Interestingly, this project also generates full time employment for several people, thanks exclusively to the leopard. The Colombo Jewellery Stores’ beautiful leopard pendants raised critical funds for similar conservation efforts a while back. Useful publications and some research work continues. But when one thinks of the iconic project Tiger in India and other major national initiatives across the world, we know that much more needs to be done through the dialogues which take place on Leopard Day. The true test of a “Leopard Day” through the eyes of a leopard, would be when actions help give it a better quality of life, a greater chance of survival, and when it begins to receive a broader appreciation as a national treasure.

The annual Leopard Day is a journey, where the very soul of it lies in making each day a “leopard day” in the wild for our lovely big cat. It all starts with a call to action, and an ask for more Photographers, Organisations, Public, and the State to play a greater role in this arena. These are early days but, thanks to some early adopters within organisations and at individual level, the momentum is certainly positive despite the gloom and doom around conservation within Sri Lanka. Big cats like Lions and Cheetahs have gone extinct in other countries within our lifetime. Our Leopard Day will only be meaningful when we ensure that the leopard is around to celebrate it with us. Let’s not wait until it is too late to give this our best efforts. Happy Leopard Day 2024.

Photograph - Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne