Woman arrested with replica made from leopard skin

Colombo, Oct. 17 (Daily Mirror) - Wildlife officers arrested a woman in Wathurugama, Gampaha, after discovering a replica made using leopard skin during a sudden raid conducted on October 16, following a tip-off received by the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The officers inspected a house in the area where the item was found. The suspect was subsequently produced before the Gampaha Magistrate’s Court the same day, along with the seized replica.

The court released the woman on a cash bail of Rs. 500,000 and ordered that the item be sent to the Department of National Museums for expert examination. The case was fixed for further hearing on January 16, 2026.

The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya), an endemic and critically endangered species, is strictly protected under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. 

Possession, sale, display, or transport of any part of this animal is a punishable offense, according to the Department of Wildlife Conservation 

The department has urged the public to report any information on illegal possession of wildlife parts via its 1992 hotline.