'Spotlight' on conservation:

Leopard cubs steal the show

By Dhaneshi YATAWARA

The cubs when they were found on July 1

Director, National Zoo Bashwara Gunarathne

Veterinarian-in-Charge Ganga Wijesinghe

They are stunningly beautiful, adorable and extremely inquisitive. The new logs set out for them to climb, the new wooden platform, the new pond and everything in their new enclosure have made them excited and hyperactive. This would surely continue for a few more days. The antiques and tricks of the three leopard cubs easily attract the attention of all those who visit the Dehiwela zoo. There was a lot of leopard fascination for Sri Lankans last week as the three adorable leopard cubs, rescued from illegal trade early July this year, were shown to the public for the first time.

On July 1, wildlife officials of the North Western region received three terrified leopard cubs through a local politician, supposedly found in the Karuwalagas wewa area and kept by an illegal animal trafficker. This area borders the Wilpattu National Park and the Puttalam district.

Wildlife veterinarians assumed that the three cubs could be around one and a half to two months old and had been without food or water for a few days.

The fate of their mother was not known and as most people suspected, she could have been killed, as a mother leopard would never isolate her brood. Do they still remember the loss of their mother? No one knows, but one thing that is certain is that they miss the warmth of their mother; the one who would have understood them best and trained them to grow up to strengthen their endangered family which is presently losing its place in nature, without so much as a roar.

Now, almost six months, the three cuddly babies weigh 10 kg, 9.6kg and 9.4kg, according to their Veterinarian-in-Charge Ganga Wijesinghe. “Daily they are fed with chicken and beef alternately. Now we give them two meals per day, but when they were younger they were given three feeds,” she explained.

When we visited the zoo, it was the cubs' meal time. Caretaker Piyasiri came with the tray of meat especially prepared for them and all play stopped for a while. Then the little ones were taken in to the adjoining room where the meat was placed in three separate plates.

“We add vitamins to the meat, since in captivity it is difficult to give a whole carcass for these animals. In the wild these cubs get to eat different parts of a full carcass and this would give them nutrition of a broad spectrum. And they get meat from a variety of animals in the jungle thus giving them an adequate vitamin and mineral supply,” Dr. Wijesinghe said.

Various bacteria

Another reason why the cubs cannot be fed an entire carcass is the presence of various bacteria in the internal parts of the carcass – especially in the digestive tract. Thus, these cubs are provided fresh meat that is not contaminated, where certain parts have been removed, especially the intestines.

“Any big cat should gain 100 – 200 grams of weight per day and these three cubs are showing the best results,” she said. The veterinarians of the zoological garden take the body weight of the cubs on a daily basis.

The cubs falling sick would be a nightmare for the zoo staff. The trio suffered from a food indigestion a few months ago and the chief caretaker Ajith and Piyasiri had to bring porridge (kenda) from home for the cubs, to prevent them from being dehydrated. Injections and saline were continuously administered to these tender babies to save them from the deadly disease proving that surviving in captivity is harder than in the wild.

Despite all the comforts created for them through the painstaking efforts of the Zoological Garden staff, the little ones would have enjoyed a more free and pleasurable life in the wilds. Over the past four months, they were adjusting to life in a new environment, away from the wilderness. Yet, air-borne viral diseases, especially from domestic cats, made them sick. Adding to this agony is the habit among many Sri Lankans to abandon kittens in and around the Dehiwela zoo, considering it a safe haven for their additional 'troubles'.

According to the vets, these cats carry many diseases to which the bigger members of the cat family are not immune. Many such diseases are deadly to these wild animals. Despite advances in technology and medication, such diseases severely threaten the lives of these animals.

Conservation of species

As the veterinarians explain, in the wild, as the density of the cat family is low and as most of these animals lead solitary lives, there are less chances of them contracting such diseases.

While caring for 13 leopards at the Dehiwela zoo (including the three female cubs), the Department of Zoological Gardens is moving towards a long-term plan for the conservation of endemic and endangered species. The first step would encompass leopards.

“Sri Lanka is well-known across the globe as one of the best places to view free-roaming leopards,” said Director of the National Zoological Gardens Department Bashwara Senanka Gunarathne. Under the project, two leopard free roaming zones (safari type) will be built in Pinnawala and Hambantota. A huge enclosure of 40 acres will be built for the leopards in Hambantota.

“This will be the Conservation Centre for Endemic and Endangered Species. Building the leopard enclosure is just the first step in this drive and we are planning to build more such facilities for sloth bear, African wild animals and Antarctic region animals. They all belong to endemic and endangered groups,” Gunarathne explained. The facility under construction in a land adjacent to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage spreads over 12,267 sq.mt. The authorities plan to complete construction by April 2012. The architectural and engineering expertise is from the State Engineering Corporation; Rs. 43.9 million will be spent on the project. “It would allow visitors to see leopards freely roaming in the park from different angles. We are constructing two viewing decks which will be inclusive of restaurants and souvenir shops. One viewing deck will have an underground restaurant which too will give visitors a different view of the leopards,” Gunarathne explained.

While priority is being given to leopard conservation by the Government, a dreadful story emerges from the Yala National Park where a young female leopard has been killed, run over by a vehicle. The carcass was found on October 22 in the Patanangala area of the Park, around 6.00 am - soon after the park was opened to the public.

Referring to the post mortem report, Dr. Tharaka Prasad, Director (Wildlife Health) of the Department of Wildlife Conservation said the cause of death of the female leopard had been injuries due to a vehicular accident. Its rib cage and associated muscles were severely damaged due to the blow to the left of its chest. The vehicle had run over its tail. The Department of Wildlife has requested a detailed report from the Warden of the Yala National Park. Investigations are continuing.

Free roaming leopards

It is one of the best places on earth to see free roaming leopards, local and foreign tourists flock to the Yala National Park everyday. The enthusiasm of the visitors is sometimes misused by the safari vehicle drivers, inflicting harm on the innocent wild animals in the protected area. In the rush to satisfy their customers, these drivers would speed to a location where a leopard has been sighted according to other drivers.

The visitors should understand that the animals are not on display, that they are in their natural habitat where they have to find water to quench their thirst and find prey to survive.

Disturbing their natural behaviour brings disaster on the entire eco-system, forcing the animals to move away from visitor roaming tracks.

Normally, during the drought season the Wildlife Department closes the parks to the public for two main reasons; one is that the animals have to roam long distances to find water and food and secondly to carry out park management and maintenance programs. The true sense of wilderness could only be enjoyed if the visitor too is willing to be a part of that environment. Accepting to abide by the law of the jungle is a must for any nature lover. Rather than pointing an accusing finger at the authorities, the nature lover who visits these parks also has a role to play. In such a disciplined environment, the survival of leopards and other endangered species will not be so convoluted.