Wild Sri Lanka - Realm of the Leopard

This film looks at the diverse and colourful wildlife of Sri Lanka, which flourishes in both the highland jungles and lowland plains. Leopards, jackals and crocodiles are the apex predators, but the country also boasts some of the rarest creatures on Earth, including the Sloth Bear and the Grey Loris.

The southwest of the country is dominated by rich tracts of rainforest. Its canopy provides sanctuary to a wide variety of birdlife, including the magnificent Crested Serpent eagle and many species of owl endemic to the island. Thanks to the southwest monsoon, rains keep the forest lush throughout the year and there is little human encroachment.

But most of Sri Lanka consists of lowland plains situated in the Dry Zone of the country. This terrain is home to Golden jackals and other cat species who often travel and hunt together, attracted to the smaller prey which abound here, such as spotted deer and wild boar. Crocodiles stalk the waterways, but they have big competition. The apex predator in this dusty scrubland is the Sri Lankan leopard.

As in neighbouring India, deforestation has diminished the leopard’s territory and there are believed to be only between 750 and 1000 left in the wild. These formidable predators are the largest leopards in the world due to the absence of tigers and the relative abundance of prey species. We follow the leopards’ daily routine showing the numerous challenges it encounters as the dry season begins.

But the biggest land mammal of these lowland dry regions is the Asiatic Elephant. During the dry season, the forest floor dries up, resulting in a scarcity of food. Unlike the leopard who will guard and remain in its territory during the harshest of seasons, the elephants begin a mass migration to ancient, man-made irrigation tanks situated in the north of the island. This amazing visual spectacle, known as the ‘Elephant Gathering’, sees over 300 elephants congregating in one spot.

As night falls, a number of other species become active. The elusive Sloth bear is very rarely seen and found exclusively on the Indian subcontinent. An extremely shy creature, it continually scans the forest floor using its long muzzle.

We are also treated to a rare glimpse into the life of the Grey Slender Loris; an arboreal animal which uses human-like limbs to move silently through the trees. It relies heavily on vision to hunt prey and has large eyes that can detect movement in low-light conditions. A complex network of blood vessels in its wrists and ankles allow the loris to grip on to branches for days without suffering muscle cramps. The main prey of the loris are insects and it silently stalks its target using slow movements to hone in on their location.