PANTHERA PARDUS KOTIYA
A.K.A the Sri Lankan Leopard
– In recent news, you may have heard of a stray leopard that has attacked several residents at a tea estate in Dickoya, Hatton. First attacking a woman in the area and then four others who had attempted to save the woman.
An operation had been launched by the residents to nab the animal but had terribly failed to result in the leopard attacking and injuring them. The seven estate workers are still receiving treatment at Nawalapitiya and Dickoya hospital.
The residents say in the past, too, leopards had appeared in the area and frightened villagers. The villagers have faulted the Wildlife Department for its failure to capture the animal although a new operation has been launched with the wildlife department to capture the animal and release it to a Wet-zone forest in the central part of the country