A man on a mission tracking leopards on the Plains with his camera
Chitral Jayatilake writes on Sankha Wanniatchi's quest for the 'Ghost of the Clouded Plains'
A young man inspired by his father to spend time in the wilderness and enjoy the outdoors as it should be – camping under the stars, picks up a Nikon D90 back in 2010, and begins to record wild cats in the Yala and Kumana National Parks. Sankha Wanniatchi spends considerable time observing and photographing the leopard at Wilpattu as he begins to withdraw from Yala National Park put off by the chaos that reigns there.
Sankha’s mother fondly remembers how his father would travel to the hills by train as a university student just to spend a day at Horton Plains. No doubt, inheriting that same love of the hills – Sankha would travel to Ohiya by train as a young man and pick up his lunch from a roadside boutique similarly spending time in the hills until it was time to put up the tents.
His much-awaited publication – Ghost of the Clouded Plains, is a 232-page coffee table book that packs a staggering 292 images artistically captured across all seasons at Horton Plains and other locations. The text that runs into over 40,000 words describes the behaviour, morphology, identification records and personal accounts of over 20 leopards that he had seen and photographed in the hills.
In an island where we’ve had a flood of coffee table books focusing more on the dry zone
wilderness, this one is much anticipated as it delves into the life of a small population of cats that has evolved to live and flourish in a habitat that is challenging and different to their usual environment.
Sankha tells me he does not usually pursue anything beyond five years, but perhaps the sheer challenge of tracking leopards up in the hills has been drawing him like a magnet these past eight years.
With his cheerful life partner Nilu, beginning a full-time career and pursuing academic advancement, since 2018 Sankha had more free time and his obsession to chase the ghosts among the clouded forests gathered momentum.
Armed with over a dozen identities of leopards at Horton Plains, he began to share this valuable information with Professor Inoka Karunaratne on an ongoing research study at Horton Plains National Park.
Having known Sankha for many years, I invited him to take up the role of a consultant for a Warner Brothers natural history documentary filmed in early 2022.
I remember being on the Plains with Sankha in September 2022 when we encountered a male leopard which Sankha jubilantly declared as his one hundredth leopard sighting in the hills. Between September and November 2023, when Sankha assisted me on a second
BBC shoot filming leopards in the hills, he claims to have had an additional 104 leopard sightings at the Plains in a whopping 140 days spent on safari – just over a year’s work. This mind-boggling passion in pursuit of every possible behaviour documenting each leopard meticulously and compiling his publication is nothing short of a man on a mission which deserves admiration.
He has recorded rare behaviour such as stalking, hunting, siblings mating, leopards making a kill and cubs playing and relishing the freedom of the wild as only the Plains can offer at 6,000 feet above sea level.
Sankha’s zest for tracking leopards in the clouded mountains and enthusiasm that seems to never wane reminds me of my younger days, yet I see a different approach in this young man who strives to look for the impossible, the most elusive – mountain leopards of Sri Lanka. For those who visit the Plains often, this book will remind them of the splendour among the clouds and all that they’ve missed while on safari and for others who are yet to drive up, it will be a motivation to embark on this expedition without delay.
I asked Sankha what advice he might give young mavericks with long lenses setting out to the hills, and he shoots back saying, travel to the hills with modest expectations and just enjoy the environment and the cool breeze on your face. With a bit of experience as you learn to track the elusive cats, sightings will come, and just in case you don’t get to see them, you can be assured they’ve seen you.
With his records showing HPF 04 having three new cubs and HPF 02 two young cubs, there is much hope for the future of the Plains’ leopard population. Individuals like Sanka with their single-minded pursuit of research and gathering data of animals they admire, unearth new vistas of leopard behaviour which brings more hope for all of us.
And what better setting can one look for leopards than in the breathtaking landscapes of Horton Plains – where you are literally a bit closer to heaven.