\u2018A racket exists\u2019<\/h2>\n
Leopard skin has long been regarded as a status symbol across the species\u2019 range, from Africa to Asia, while leopard teeth are coveted as symbols of power and bravery. In Sri Lanka, there\u2019s also a mythical belief that leopard meat possesses rare medicinal properties, which could be fueling demand in the black market, Muhandiram tells Mongabay.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne offender caught for killing a leopard admitted he did so to obtain its flesh, clear evidence that such a racket exists. Whether this is part of organized crime or are isolated incidents remains unclear,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cSri Lanka may not be part of an international trafficking chain for leopard bone or skin like some parts of India or Africa, but the possibility of small-scale trade or even ritual use of leopard parts cannot be ruled out,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n Other researchers and conservationists have also long suspected that the opportunistic explanation may not fully capture the trend. Among them is Rukshan Jayewardene, a veteran conservationist and leopard expert, who says there\u2019s more to the story.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always maintained that some leopards are deliberately targeted,\u201d Jayewardene tells Mongabay. \u201cWhile not widespread like in other leopard range countries, there is still a pattern in Sri Lanka. The trouble is, we have not been able to fully expose or quantify this trend.\u201d<\/p>\n Jayewardene points to repeated incidents where leopards were found not just caught in traps, but with carcasses missing specific body parts like front legs and shoulder muscles \u2013 signs suggesting harvesting of body parts rather than simple poaching for meat.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the past, there had been leopard skins being confiscated at the airport or from private homes, which suggests targeting, but there is very little information available, and as such, there is currently no available evidence of targeted poaching at scale,\u201d says Andrew Kittle, lead scientist and founding trustee of the Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT), a local research and conservation organization. \u201cBut this is definitely something that we need to be alert to.\u201d<\/p>\n If poachers specifically target a leopard, then it\u2019s less they\u2019ll leave the carcass behind. Dead leopards accidentally caught in snares set for other animals often do get reported, and some of these incidental killings have resulted in opportunistic harvesting of meat, skin, teeth and claws, Kittle tells Mongabay.<\/p>\n Quantifying instances of leopard killings is difficult as wild meat isn\u2019t sold openly in Sri Lanka, as it is in other leopard range countries.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have done surveys about people killing leopards in retaliation for livestock depredation, but the results are hard to verify as some people exaggerate, while there are others that lie to avoid what they think might cause them trouble,\u201d Kittle says, pointing to the difficulty in verifying information relating to leopard deaths.<\/p>\n An analysis by WWCT from 2015 to 2025 revealed at least 100 reported leopard deaths. About three-fifths of these deaths were caused by snares, followed by poisoning, a practice concentrated in cattle-herding regions in the buffer zones of protected areas. Herders usually spray or spill poison over the carcasses of cattle killed by leopards, due to the big cat\u2019s habit of returning to their kill over the following days, Kittle says.<\/p>\n A separate analysis of leopard deaths reported to the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) from 2001 to 2023, conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Kelaniya, showed that nearly three in four recorded leopard deaths took place outside protected areas.<\/p>\n \u201cThis highlights the increased risks faced by leopards outside designated conservation zones,\u201d says zoologist Hasitha Karavita, one of the researchers. \u201cHowever, it is also worrying that 24% of leopard deaths occurred in protected regions where some of these deaths are not due to natural causes.\u201d<\/p>\n Their data set puts death by shooting as the No. 3 reason for leopard deaths, accounting for 6.6% of fatalities. Electrocution, explosive-laden bait and collisions with vehicles are recorded as the other main causes of leopard deaths. Some leopards have also been beaten to death by angry mobs, particularly when they\u2019ve been found inside human settlements.<\/p>\n The issue is further complicated by Sri Lanka\u2019s dense and growing rural-forest interface. Leopards, especially young males, often enter forest-adjacent villages in search of food or new territory. This increases both human-wildlife conflict and the likelihood of retaliatory killings by villagers.<\/p>\n \u201cThere needs to be better intelligence gathering and community-level education,\u201d Muhandiram says. \u201cWe also need harsher penalties for the possession of leopard body parts and more robust monitoring of traditional markets where such items might be traded discreetly, away from the authorities\u2019 eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n Rajika Gamage, an independent researcher who has monitored biodiversity in Sri Lanka\u2019s hilly region for more than two decades, says leopard killings have turned into an organized crime over time. His analysis of incidents across different areas shows a discernible pattern, which he says prompted him to undertake an ongoing in-depth investigation.<\/p>\n \u201cI fear that racketeers may be using research data to target areas where leopards are known to roam frequently,\u201d Gamage tells Mongabay.<\/p>\n Sri Lanka\u2019s leopard population, though not formally assessed in its entirety, is estimated at fewer than 1,000 mature individuals in the wild.<\/p>\n The Sri Lankan leopard (P. p. kotiya) is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List, which means every death has a sizeable impact.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t afford to be complacent about this,\u201d Muhandiram says. \u201cThe leopard is not just a symbol of the wild, it\u2019s a keystone species whose survival reflects the health of our entire ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n As the investigation into the Maduru Oya leopard killing continues, conservationists say they hope it will spark not only accountability, but a deeper look into what might be a hidden crisis \u2014 unfolding one snare, one carcass and one pelt at a time.<\/p>\nNo real wild meat trade<\/h2>\n
Killed in unprotected areas<\/h2>\n
A crisis in the making<\/h2>\n