Suspected rise in targeted leopard killings worries conservationists in Sri Lanka

After a series of alleged leopard poaching incidents in Sri Lanka, conservationists warn that the big cats are likely being deliberately targeted for their skin, teeth, claws and meat at a higher rate than previously believed, reports contributor Malaka Rodrigo for Mongabay. “Sri Lanka may not be part of an international trafficking chain for leopard bone or skin like some parts of India or Africa, but the possibility of small-scale trade or even ritual use of leopard parts cannot be ruled out,” Sethil Muhandiram, a conservation activist from the leopard conservation nonprofit LEOPOCON, told Mongabay. The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) is considered endangered as per its IUCN assessment in 2008, with fewer than 1,000 mature wild individuals remaining. Muhandiram said it’s comm