Animals,  Eco-tourism,  Sri Lanka

The beasts of Wilpattu

March 27, 2026 / 37 Comments

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

Mahatma Gandhi

I wasn’t always happy about the way animals are treated in Sri Lanka (we were taken to one elephant facility that I felt was well below the standards I have seen elsewhere). But you can’t fault their extensive national parks system and the habitats they provide for wildlife.

It’s not enough to love animals; we must actively protect and preserve them. It’s our duty and responsibility as custodians of this planet.

Daphne Sheldrick

Last week I shared a gallery of images of the various birds we saw on our visit to Wilpattu National Park in Sri Lanka. This week I’m following up with a selection of the animals we saw on our four safari drives in the park (one morning, two afternoon and one full day).

A track through Wilpattu National Park

While the big draw here are the park’s leopards, sightings aren’t of course guaranteed. We did get a glimpse of one, but not the sort of encounter I’d hoped for. However we did see the other animal on our wish-list, the sloth bear. And other sightings were plentiful.

As I said in that previous post, we had an excellent guide, Namal. He knew the park intimately and was able to show us a variety of environments within it as well as choosing some great spots for photography. If you haven’t already done so, do check out his Instagram feed.

Sri Lankan sloth bear

This animal was, as I mentioned, high on our wish-list for Wilpattu and we were fortunate to see one on our first afternoon in the park, right next to the track. The Sri Lankan sloth bear is endemic to the island and is considered highly threatened, with a population of less than 1000 (Wikipedia suggests that the wild population may be as low as 500).

Asian wild buffalo

This species is regarded as vulnerable and is also one of the most dangerous animals you could encounter in the park. We saw several, including a young calf which Namal estimated to be about a year old.

Golden jackals

We came across a group of jackals on one of the roads through the park. They posed beautifully for a while before heading off into the bush.

Sri Lankan elephant

The Sri Lankan elephant is native to Sri Lanka and is one of three recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant. We only saw one elephant here (they are relatively rare in the park). It was during a heavy shower so my photos aren’t as clear as I’d have liked.

Spotted deer

These were the most plentiful of the animal species we saw. We were lucky to be there at the right time to see fawns, looking exactly like Bambi.

Torque macaques

The Torque macaque is endemic to Sri Lanka. We mainly saw them in the one area of the park where it is permitted to get out of your vehicle. There’s a parking area for the jeeps and a block of public toilets (very necessary if you’re spending all day there!) The macaques try to raid the jeeps for food and keep everyone amused with their antics. Namal told us a bag had been taken from one vehicle, and it and its contents, including passports, ripped apart! Fortunately he had advised us to take everything with us, and he stood guard over the jeep with a big stick, just in case.

The faces of females turn pink or red as they reach adulthood; presumably the males find this attractive!

Mugger crocodiles

These crocs favour slow-moving or stagnant water, so Wilpattu is an ideal environment for them. They have the broadest snouts of any crocodile, making them look rather like alligators.

Land monitor lizards

As I mentioned in my ‘postcard’ from Sri Lanka, these are common reptiles and can be found all over the country. However it was in Wilpattu that we first came across them.

Assorted others

Here are a few other favourites: a Muntjac deer (aka a Barking deer), a Sri Lankan flapshell turtle (another endemic species), a Green Garden lizard, and a Ruddy mongoose. It should be clear which is which but if not, click on any image to see a caption.

Oh, and about that leopard … This is the best I could do as a record of our ‘sighting’!

Glimpse of a leopard (heavily cropped, hence the poor quality image)

I visited Wilpattu in February 2026

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