Leopards of Yala
Introduction

Mysteries and surprises abound in the nocturnal world of Leopards of Yala.

For more than a century, Yala National Park in Sri Lanka has been one of Asia’s most celebrated wildlife preserves, a lush windswept tropical forest rich in rare aquatic birds and abundant with ferocious predators, such as crocodiles and sloth bears. But only in very recent years has Yala’s big cat distinction been brought to light: It contains one of the world’s largest concentrations of leopards. NATURE takes viewers deep into the jungle habitat of these elusive animals, in Leopards of Yala.

Over a period of six years, Jehan Kumara, a businessman from Sri Lanka’s capital city of Colombo, and Dr. Ravi Samarasinha, a physician from the local countryside, devoted their spare time to tracking leopards in Yala. In the course of their work, they are joined by Scottish cameraman Gordon Buchanan, attracted to Yala by the lure of finding the only big cat he had never captured on film.

To order a copy of Leopards of Yala, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Leopards of Yala was originally posted April 2003.

21 Responses to “Introduction”
  1. Amber Jones says:

    This is the most adorable pic ever!! :) too bad they’re crittically endangered :(

  2. jay says:

    WOW how beautiful!! look at the eyez INTENSE!! only if we could be as free

  3. Taylor says:

    I’m so sad that leopards are endangered :(

  4. Taylor says:

    Leopards fur is so detailed!

  5. endreana curry says:

    their are is one word for this animal BEAUTIFUL!!!!!<3 ppl should love this animals not KILL THEM!!!!=/

  6. mandy says:

    wow iv never seen sumfin so beautifull those eyes are amazing i cant get over it just wow i want one for my birthday lolxx shame they r indanged xxx

  7. Jade Lepord says:

    Those eyes, they are so beautiful and intense, I wish we people would stop hunting and start a breeding program for them. It’s not just the eyes, but the reason we have to do this in the first place is because of us. We were (are) greedy and we wanted (want) their fur. Imagine, you are having dinner and suddenly you’re dead, and then you are skinned just because we think it is PRETTY. Now, don’t get me wrong! I am blaming myself and everyone else! If you don’t agree with me, do somethin’ ’bout it!

  8. Audra says:

    I love this kind of cat they are so pretty!!!there fur is so detailed and something about them they are gorgeous!

  9. Leo says:

    So sad people don’t see what we r doing to these animals untill its to late.

  10. isabel says:

    i love this cats ,and i love to draw them i have a room full of leopards and tigers my favorite animals maybe bc am a leo lol

  11. Pandula says:

    A visit to the Sri Lankan jungles is to enter a whole new world where nature has largely stayed still. Approximately 14% of this small island is dedicated to sanctuaries and nature reserves.The animals to be seen in Sri Lanka’s national parks include elephant, leopard, sloth bear, sandbur, deer and monkeys, wild buffalo, wild boar (pig), porcupine, ant-eater, civet cat, jackal, mongoose, Loris (unique to Sri Lanka) several varieties of lizards, squirrels, reptiles and amphibians. Each park however has its own specialties.
    http://pandu-76.spaces.live.com/

  12. rgrace3 says:

    on so cute there like kittens but huge I would like one as a pet.

  13. animallover101 says:

    all animals are awesome

  14. love leopards says:

    you guys know it is not all about the beuty! They are critically endangered and thats is mostly because of people think they are pretty when they are fur coats! :(

  15. Bui Nelson says:

    So many of these creatures that do not exsist in Canada are so cool. They look as if we could go lay down with them and cuddle. It is beyond my understanding why man throughout the world would kill off a spiecies of anything nor to my understanding why man with all the knowledge he has would not have taken action long before it was a major concern. As nice as these cats are they do have a terrible odor as they spray their urine most everywhere to mark territory.

  16. Lal De Silava says:

    Hi contact us if you really want to watch Leopards in the Yala National park in Sri lanka,Amazing place, feel free to contact for detail information. (Naturalist ,Lal De Silva, lanaturepro@gmail.com)

  17. Nihal De Silva says:

    Yes, the eyes of the Lepord is its most beautiful part, searching & guaging its enviorement all the time. Having followed these beautiful animals at Yala for the past six months with my own camera, I can not understand how any one can place the sights of a gun on any thing as beautiful as the Lepords of Yala or even else where globally.Thank you Yala continue to protect these beautiful animals with thy lush jungle growth.

  18. Zella says:

    Can one basically point out such a reduction to search out somebody that actually knows just what theyre referring to on the web. You certainly know solutions to provide a difficulty in order to delicate along with make it essential. A lot more people ought to learn this particular along with understand why part of the history. I can’t picture youre no more common as you definitely have the reward

  19. seks says:

    секс-видео-рулетка . Испытай свою сексуальную удачу.

    вот так телки тут
    http://www.seks-ruletka.net/main.php?p=1096

  20. dom2 says:

    Вот СЕкс так Секс рулетка и ТЕлки Просто ППц!
    Тут

  21. Wick G. says:

    The breathtaking beauty of wildlife at Yala National Park in Sri Lanka! My mom took us there many years ago and it was a great experience even though we were kids. For a small island, that nation has an unusual amount of natural habitats, wildlife, timeless cultural sites and of course tropical fruits to die for! Having eradicated international terrorism from its soil, Sri Lanka is blooming. We are planning to visit SL soon and Yala is a definite destination on the island. Thanks PBS and Nature.

Leave a Reply

Please note that the THIRTEEN editorial staff reserves the right to not post comments it deems to be inappropriate and/or malicious in nature, as well as edit comments for length, clarity and fairness. No solicitations or advertisements will be allowed. Users may link to other Web sites relevant to discussion, but most often links to commercial Web sites will not be permitted.

Produced by THIRTEEN    ©2013 Educational Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.