To fill the knowledge gap on the wet zone leopard population, mitigate human-leopard conflicts, and conserve this important element of Sri Lankan wildlife, the Wildlife Conservation Society – Galle (WCSG) initiated a comprehensive study on the wet zone leopard population in the Eastern Sinharaja Area in 2015. The study’s focus was on revealing the distribution pattern, range extension, dietary habits, and behavior of the leopard population in the area.
Currently, the project is centered around the Leopard Valley Research Station at Morningside, Eastern Sinharaja, a world heritage site. As part of this study, conducted over five consecutive years until 2020, WCSG successfully published the very first comprehensive study on the dietary patterns of the wet zone Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) population in 2023.
The ongoing research at the Leopard Valley Research Station in Morningside by WCSG is specifically concentrated on studying individual leopard identification, their existing range, and movement patterns. Automated camera traps set up in a grid in the forest and surrounding areas are used to identify individuals separately and study their behavioral patterns. Indirect data such as pug marks and scrapes are also employed for individual identification. The society aims to utilize the data from this research effectively to manage and mitigate human-leopard conflicts in Sri Lanka/