After networking with a few photographers and a little research we now found ourselves heading to Sri Lanka in search of Leopards. We've had some good success in Africa with these beautiful cats, but always hit and miss as to when and where you might see them. Now we had information about a park in Sri Lanka on its south east coast called Yala NP, that virtually guaranteed us of seeing leopards. This park claims to have the highest concentration of these apex predators anywhere in the world and sightings are said to be regular. We'll put this claim to the test.
Our first hour into the park on day one and our first leopard, a big male stalking spotted deer in the early morning light.
Our first hour into the park on day one and our first leopard, a big male stalking spotted deer in the early morning light.
For those who don't want to think of the final outcome, he was unsuccessful this time around, but the setup of the hunt was incredible to watch.
Over the next few days we had a few quick sightings, but no photo ops. However, Yala is also known for its wild asian elephants. One small family in particular, which included a one month old baby, gave us a few incredible memories over a period of days. At one point they walked up to our jeep and began touching the hood and front bumper with their trunks. It seemed like these intelligent creatures were introducing the baby to this strange machine we were in. You could see the curiousity and amazement of the little one as it peered through the legs of the mother and aunt.
Now back to the leopards... back to back days of good sightings. Two great scenarios of a leopard on a rock formation and the following day a beautiful male perched on the branch of a majestic tree. How the trackers spot these animals sometimes still baffles us.
In the end Yala National Park lived up to its reputation, ten leopards in 5 days was the final count. Additionally, Sri Lanka is a clean lush beautiful country with friendly people. It goes without saying we will be back.
Hope you enjoyed this adventure update. Safe travels.
Hope you enjoyed this adventure update. Safe travels.
All images are @ by Edward Spera 2015
