Where the leopards roam today
Historically, the Sri Lankan leopard was distributed throughout the island. However, due to changes experienced by the landscape in the country, the leopard is no more seen in the south western areas and in the vast agricultural areas. Even though the Sri Lankan leopard roams around 50% of the island, its actual habitat is limited to about 20%, specifically in areas that are strongly linked with forest cover. Most of these areas are abundant with prey resulting in favourable conditions for the leopards. Protected areas in the dry zone such as the Yala National Park are the most common habitats of the Sri Lankan leopard. However, limited populations of leopards are also found in the central hills and the wet zone including Sinharaja forest. It is important to note that the total population of leopards have significantly reduced over the years.