Data from: 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 range: 90 - 650m) to return, within 3 weeks, to a
human-dominated, agricultural landscape ~10 km from its original capture
site. Practical Implication: Although the leopard’s age and sex, and
characteristics of the release suggest a reasonable probability of
success, longer monitoring was required to determine the ultimate success
of the release. The leopard’s immediate attempt to return towards its
capture location supports previous research indicating that translocation
should be avoided unless circumstances allow little other choice.