 The concept of saving the leopards that were being killed outside the boundaries of the Yala National Park came into being in the early part of 2006. The late Dr. Ravi Samarasinge, Shiromi Kulatunge and Darrel Bartholomeusz; three wild life enthusiasts, realized that many leopards were being hunted outside the park, and felt that something should be done to reduce it.
It appeared that the main reason for this hunting was the high density of leopards within Block 1 of the Yala National Park. Some leopards seemed unable to have a territory of their own and therefore ventured outside the boundaries of the Park. It may also be that attacking domestic cattle is easier than the hunt for prey within the Park.
 The three of them found that a number of leopards were being killed by the villagers because the leopards attacked their cattle. The three of them had community meetings with the villagers including the cattle herders ( 60 cattle herders at present who own approximately 3000 cattle/ buffaloes) and further found out that the leopards mainly attacked the calves.
After much discussion and research, they tried out an idea which they felt would help the cattle herders and in turn save the leopard. They designed a cage made of chain link which was 10ft x 20ft x 5ft. Furthermore, the cages are mobile and therefore when the cattle are moved from place to place for their grazing the cages can be moved with ease.After the cattle were herded in the evenings, the calves were put into this cage for the night. It proved to be a success and at present 07 such cages are in use. The cage is covered on all sides, so that the leopard cannot enter from any angle.
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The raw materiel for the cages is given to the committee and the cages are made by the villagers. The cost of the raw material per cage is approximately Rs. 30, 000/- . The cages are given to the committee of the cattle herders, and it decides to which herder the cage/s should be donated. Discussions with the herders, after this idea was put into practice, reveals that the leopards have attempted to attack the calves on numerous occasions and have been prevented from doing so because of the cages. The herders are very happy with the idea and the number of killings has reduced. However, this information is not documented; it is based on the feed back from the cattle herders and other villagers.
There is a representative in the area, namely D. K. Susantha, who has been provided with a motorbike and mobile phone. The project is funded by wild life enthusiasts and the representative on site is sponsored by Arcadian Trading (Pvt) Limited.
The representative liaises with the cattle herders and forwards the information to those involved in the project. If there is a leopard that has been seen in the vicinity, the cattle herders notify the representative so that a cage may be provided for the protection of their cattle. There have not been any complaints received with regard to any set back in the design of the cages.
There were queries from a group of scientists from India with regard to the success of these cages. There is a problem with leopards that prevails in India as well, namely in a region approximately 200 km outside the city of Mumbai. However, the problem there is with the leopards attacking and killing humans as opposed to cattle. The area is planted with sugarcane and the loss of habitat has meant the loss of the leopards’ natural prey.
At present, there has been a request from the cattle herders for 4-5 more cages, and the group is in the process of collecting funds to make these cages.
Eco Team, with www.leopardssrilanka.com is co-funding this project and has initiated a school awareness programme in the border villagers on the importance of conserving leopards and habitats.
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