Axis axis ceylonensis · Bubalus arnee
Deer & Buffalo
The prey base — and the reason the leopards are where they are.
- 44 in Yala
- Spotted deer, sambar, buffalo, boar
- Repeated alarm calls
- Any
Spotted deer and sambar are everywhere in Yala, along with wild water buffalo and wild boar. Guests often photograph them last and remember them first.
Learn to read them and the drive changes. A herd standing rigid and facing one direction, or a single alarm call repeated, is the most reliable leopard signal in the park — our drivers stop and listen long before anything is visible.
Where to look
Open glades, tank edges and the grass beside every track.
How often it is seen
Seen on every drive
Also in the park