Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa will host “Sri Lankan Leopard Day 2026” on Saturday (August 1) from 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. at the Opposition Leader’s office in Colombo 7.
The event is intended to bring together experts, policymakers, conservationists, researchers, government institutions, civil society organisations, private sector representatives and young people to strengthen national efforts to conserve the Sri Lankan leopard.
Premadasa said protecting the species is not solely a wildlife conservation issue but a national responsibility, arguing that conserving it safeguards the health of the country’s ecosystems, strengthens its natural heritage and reflects a broader commitment to sustainable development and responsible environmental stewardship.
Why the species matters
The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) is an endemic subspecies found nowhere else, and an apex predator whose presence helps maintain the ecological balance of the island’s forests.
Organisers said the animal continues to face growing pressure from habitat fragmentation, snaring, poisoning, road deaths, human-induced mortality and other forms of wildlife crime, and that addressing those threats requires closer collaboration across sectors, supported by sound science, effective policy, public awareness and community participation.
Programme
The event is billed as a national platform for dialogue and action, and will cover the latest scientific findings, practical conservation measures and stronger partnerships between organisations working on the issue.
A stated feature of the programme is the participation of students and young conservation leaders, who will engage directly with scientists and wildlife experts. Representatives from government agencies, universities, research institutions, conservation and environmental groups, the corporate sector, diplomatic missions, the media and youth organisations are expected to attend.
The event comes at a point when leopards have been repeatedly in the news. Staff and students at the University of Peradeniya were warned this week about leopards moving through the Hanthana campus at night after a calf was killed at the Veterinary Faculty’s livestock farm. Enforcement cases have also continued, including a raid linking a former police DIG to a leopard skin and ammunition and two arrests in Wanathawilluwa over a leopard skin and unlicensed firearms. Sri Lanka was admitted to the International Big Cat Alliance in April.
