From snared to swimming – Some observations on the rescue, treatment, release and monitoring of an injured Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)

The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) is a threatened endemic sub-species and the island’s apex predator. Wire snares represent a substantial threat to leopards here with conservation officials routinely working to rescue snared leopards. This process can lead to injury treatment, rehabilitation, and translocation, the outcomes of which are poorly understood. Here we report on the rescue and ex-situ treatment and recovery of a snared young adult male leopard, as well as its post-recovery release and monitoring. This was the first GPS radio-collared translocated leopard in Sri Lanka. The leopard was snared in a human-dominated, unprotected region of the Central Highlands and underwent surgery and 4 months of treatment before being released within a lower elevation protected area ~20 km from the capture site. The leopard made immediate, clear and rapid directional movements towards its original range, island-hopping by swimming across open water on three occasions (distance rang..., This dataset is comprised of GPS telemetry re-locations from a monitored Sri Lankan leopard. Locations were uploaded remotely to a dedicated website. Data processing included removing all re-locations with DOP < 2.0 to ensure accuracy. The dataset also includes estimated locations based on VHF tracking using triangulation. This was conducted after the battery powering the GPS relocations died. Finally the dataset also includes the GPS location where the leopard was originally snared, taken using a handheld Garmin GPS unit and the dates and locations within the Victoria-Randenigala-Rantambe Sanctuary where previous leopards were released., , # From Snared to Swimming – Some observations on the rescue, treatment, release and monitoring of an injured Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qrfj6q5sn](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qrfj6q5sn)

## Description of the data and file structure

The data is comprised of:

1. GPS telemetry data collected from a radio-collared Sri Lankan leopard that was rescued, treated, collared and released after being caught in a snare in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. The collar was programmed to get re-locations every 2 hours. 
2. VHF tracking data collected using standard triangulation techniques after the GPS relocations were no longer being taken. 
3. The GPS location where the leopard was snared taken using a hand-held Garmin GPS unit. 
4. The GPS locations where previously treated and released leopards were released with Victoria-Randenigala-Rantambe Sanctuary taken using hand-held Garmin GPS unit

\***NOTE**: All coordinates are in decimal degrees...,