YALA, Sri Lanka — Spotting a leopard at Yala National Park, Sri Lanka’s most famous wildlife park located in the deep south, tops the list of priorities for many local and foreign wildlife enthusiasts. Block I of Yala National Park attracts the most number of visitors, as it is known to have the highest density of leopards, with at least one leopard per square kilometer (0.4 square miles). Due to this pressure, many visitors flock to Yala Block I all year round, with the hope of spotting one or more leopards, resulting in overcrowding, “leopard jams” and speeding jeeps, posing significant threats to its wildlife. Hit-and-run cases Past incidents indicate dangers associated with speeding jeeps for both humans and wildlife. In October 2011, a young leopard was killed in a hit-and-run safari jeep accident. Another jungle cat died in a hit-and-run incident in June 2012. Then, in September 2021, two safari jeeps carrying local and foreign visitors collided, injuring one local visitor. Recently, Lucas, a magnificent male leopard in the Block I area, made headlines when a safari jeep had come into close contact with the animal. The incident itself was mired in controversy, as some factions claimed the animal had been “slightly bumped” from behind, while park officials denied these claims. Ravindra Kumara, Yala National Park warden, told Mongabay the incident was not an accident as reported in the media. “Usually, when a safari jeep is close to an animal, jeep drivers have been advised to switch off the…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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