More Leopards - Sri Lanka

Leopard - Yala, Sri Lanka

I've still got a number of photographs of Leopard taken in Sri Lanka which I have not had a chance to share until now. The photograph above was our ninth and last sighting of a Leopard in Yala. We saw it on the further side of an open plain near the entrance to the park. We watched it for about ten or fifteen minutes while it walked over, crossed the road and disappeared into the undergrowth.

More photographs inside.

Leopard - Yala, Sri Lanka

Unfortunately when we came across this Leopard it was late in the evening and the light wasn't great. I had to push up the ISO to around 640 for this one but in hindsight I should have pushed it up further. Although this would have added to the "noise" I would have been able to use a faster shutter speed.

Leopard Cub - Yala, Sri Lanka

The photograph was taken during the sighting at Karaw Gas Wala. The cub seemed a bit reluctant to cross the road with a couple of jeeps being parked nearby. However, it did work up the courage to cross the road and I was able to take a number of photographs of it in the open.

Leopard - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

This was the first Leopard we saw when we drove into the Wilpattu National Park. It was only about 5 minutes away from the main gate in an area which "didn't have too many animals". It was a good start to a three hour drive in the park.

All these photographs were taken with the 100-400mm lens and the Canon 7D. The ISO had to be pushed up to around 400 or more as the light wasn't the best.

Leopards - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

Leopard - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

On our last trip to Sri Lanka we were able to visit Wipattu while we were staying in Anuradhapura. Due to time constraints we were able to do just one drive in the park. However, we were quite lucky as we atually managed to see 3 Leopards in the park.

More photographs after the jump.

 Leopard - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

The first sighting was just five minutes after we entered the park. We had just picked up the tracker from the office and headed into the park when we saw the first Leopard just off the road. We had actually driven past him before we realised and had to reverse back to where he was. He wasn't too bothered with us and was happy to sit in the shade and be photographed. We had been there for about five minutes when a tractor approached and spooked the Leopard.

Leopard - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

The second sighting was a mother and a cub who were playing on the road when we saw them. Unfortunately they were some distance away and we had to be cautious when we approached. Our driver wasn't very experienced and he stopped a relatively long way from the Leopards making photography almost impossible. By the time we were close enough to the Leopards to photograph them, the cub had moved away.

Leopard - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

A few minutes later the mother moved off to the right hand side of the road. The cub saw her move and followed her. It was still in a playful mood and I was fortunate to photograph it running across the road and jumping on its mothers back. The two moved into the undergrowth and were there for sometime before they disappeared into the jungle.

Leopard - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

The photograph above is of the mother when she was about 10 meters away.

All the photographs on this post were taken with a Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens.

The Leopards at Wel Mal Kema - Yala, Sri Lanka

Leopard at Wel Mal Kema - Yala, Sri Lanka

Wel Mal Kema is a rocky area within block 1 of the Yala national park. There are a couple of water holes amongst the rocks and apart from the rock itself, there aren't any open areas. The road actually runs up the rock and relatively close to one of the water holes. The area is known for Leopard and Bear.  It's not the easiest road to drive along.

More photographs inside.

Leopard at Wel Mal Kema - Yala, Sri Lanka

On our first drive through Wel Mal Kema we found fresh Leopard tracks along one side of the road. We knew the Leopard was close by but visibility wasn't the best due to the thick jungle on either side of the road. Our best chance of seeing the Leopard was if it was on the road.  Fortunately for us it was. We saw it from about 25 meters away as it peered around a rock to watch us. The engine was promptly tuned off and we waited hoping to get a better view.

Leopard at Wel Mal Kema - Yala, Sri Lanka

After a few minutes the Leopard crossed the road and climbed up on the rocks to our right. Unfortunately for us another jeep pulled up at that moment and the inexperienced driver (there are a lot of them around Yala) didn't turn off his engine and the Leopard got spooked and left.

Leopard at Wel Mal Kema - Yala, Sri Lanka

On another one of our trips we had a brief sighting of a Leopard as it walked away from the road. I did manager to get a couple of photographs of the Leopard as it walked away and scent marked a tree.

All the images on this post were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens.

The Leopards at Karaw Gas Wala - Yala, Sri Lanka

A Leopardess having a drink - Yala, Sri Lanka

One of the best sightings we had while in Yala, was of a female Leopard and her cub at Karaw Gas Wala. We were on an evening round when we crossed another vehicle and were informed that a Leopard was seen in the area. Our driver had a hunch that the Leopard would be heading towards the water hole at Karaw Gas Wala and headed off in that direction. He had seen the Leopards stopping there for a drink before and thought they would make an appearance.

More photographs inside.

 Leopard cub emerging from the undergrowth - Yala, Sri Lanka

When we got to the water hole we were greeted by three or four Buffalo in the water and a couple of Painted Storks but no sign of the Leopard. A decision was soon made to wait there for a while and see if we got lucky. Unfortunately a number of other vehicles that drove passed decided to stop and wait as well! It was getting a bit too crowded for our liking and hoping to lead the other jeeps away, we drove "around the block" and got back ten minutes later to find all the other vehicles gone. 

Leopardess and Cub - Yala, Sri Lanka

We were rewarded 20 minutes later when the cub emerged from the undergrowth. It was a bit hesitant and initially poked its head out and stared at us for a while. It was soon joined by it's mother (I was annoyed to later discover that a stick in the foreground had actually got in the way of a photograph with the mother staring directly at the camera! The shot above).

The Leopardess approaches - Yala, Sri Lanka

After a few minutes the Leopardess led the cub towards the road along a gully and we lost sight of them briefly. We were pretty confident that it would cross the road behind our vehicle so we stayed put. We didn't have to wait too long.

The Leopard comes up to the road- Yala, Sri Lanka

The female re-appeared a bit further away from us to cross the road. She was uneasy and kept staring at the vehicle while she was in the open. During this period I was able capture a number of photographs with her staring directly into the camera.

AFemale Leopard crosses the road - Yala, Sri Lanka

A little while after she crossed the road, the cub followed. It was very tentative and took a while to work up the courage to actually walk across. Soon after it crossed the road it disappeared into the undergrowth on the further side of the water hole. Probably because it was unsettled by the presence of both our vehicle and the buffalo.

The Leopard cub crosses the road - Yala, Sri Lanka

Soon after the cub crossed the road the female started to drink. Thankfully she positioned herself at the far end of the waterhole, directly opposite us. she had a long drink throughout which she didn't take her eye's off the vehicle. I was glad because this meant I was able to get more photographs with her staring straight into the camera.

A Leopardess having a drink - Yala, Sri Lanka

A few minutes after the Leopard started drinking, the buffaloes became restless. They didn't seem to have any young with them so I'm not really sure what agitated them. They approached the Leopard threateningly, stamping their hooves and snorting and succeeded in chasing the Leopard away.

The Leopard walking away - Yala, Sri Lanka

The whole experience lasted about 15 minutes. It was one of the best sightings I've had of a Leopard in Yala and having it to ourselves was a big bonus. I think I fired off about 50 frames during the fifteen minutes. I was expecting to have taken a lot more to be honest!

The photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens.

The Rukvilla Cubs - Yala, Sri Lanka

One of the Rukvilla Cubs - Yala, Sri Lanka

 

The Rukvilla cubs are the current stars of Yala. Born around a year or so ago, they have grown up surrounded by noisy safari jeeps and don't seem to be too bothered by them anymore. Due to this fact they offer lengthy sightings and are one of the first stops made by most jeep drivers. We actually experienced a number of traffic jams, caused by the cubs, in the Rukvilla area during our 2.5 days in the park.

More shots after the jump.

One of the Rukvilla Cubs - Yala, Sri Lanka

  

Yala has changed a lot over the years. I remember going to the park as a child and spending five days in the park and not seeing a single Leopard. This trip we stayed outside the park and were able to see Leopard on every single drive into the park (No, we didn't see the Rukvilla cubs over and over again!).  From what I have heard this is the norm.

One of the Rukvilla Cubs - Yala, Sri Lanka

The mortality rate for cubs during the first year is around 41% - 50%. Thankfully these cubs seem to be doing well. Although they are able to fend for themselves from now on, they will remain with the mother for another 6 - 12 months before moving off on their own.

One of the Rukvilla Cubs - Yala, Sri Lanka

The photographs on this post were taken with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400mm lens.