Being a mom isn’t easy in the wild. Raising cubs is a big challenge for leopard moms in Yala National Park where it needs great dedication, strength, and courage to look after them. They are facing many challenges while protecting their cubs. Particularly, leopard cubs are vulnerable to other strong adult leopards and big predators such as crocodiles. As well as wild boars and venomous snakes can cause fatal attacks on leopard cubs. As such, protecting the cubs from all these hazards in the wild is an extremely hard task for leopard mothers.
Usually, leopard moms give birth to a litter of 1 to 3 cubs on average. They use a cave, a burrow, or a secret place in thick vegetation as a birthing den. The cubs are born vulnerable with sealed eyes. The mother will stay with her cubs for their first few days before venturing out to hunt. She will continue to move her cubs from one den to the next while she is hunting. At about three months of age, the cubs venture out with their mother to learn hunting skills. At this tender age, cubs need their mother’s care and protection for their survival.
There are some great leopard moms in Yala National Park that could raise their cubs into big, powerful adults. These exceptional leopard mothers contributed a lot to grow the leopard population in the park. In this post, we will bring you some interesting details about these legendary leopardesses in Yala National Park.
1. YF1 – Jeena
Definitely, YF1 -Jeena is among the top legendary leopard moms in Yala National Park. Although her exact age is unknown, she was first observed in 2008. According to this information, she is more than 15 years old now. Hence, Jeena is among the most senior female leopards in the park.
She was an amazingly powerful and bold leopardess who managed to establish a large territory in the heart of Block 1. This fearless leopardess was frequently sighted around safari tracks and well-habituated to the jeeps.
She is a quite successful mother who managed to raise several notable leopards to adulthood. According to the records, she has given birth to 8 cubs. In 2012 – a single cub, in 2014 -three cubs, in 2017 a single cub, and in 2018 – three cubs. Unfortunately, Jeena has lost three cubs in different litters including a single cub from 2012, 1 cub out of 3 from the 2014 litter, and a single cub from 2017.
Leopard mom Jeena in 2014
Jeena gave birth to her first litter in 2014. Called as Ratmalwala Family, Jeena and her cubs were a famous sensation among wildlife photographers at that time. The family comprised of mother Jeena with one male and two female cubs. Many photographers were lucky to witness her beautiful family and captured some great shots of Jeena and her cubs.
Gradually, her male cub YM7 – Harak Hora aka “Cattle Thief” became one of the top dominant male leopards in block I. He is a giant male leopard who prefers to feed on cattle. People gasping with fear at the sight of this fierce-looking huge leopard. Also, her daughter YF2 -Jennie became a strong, fearless leopardess in the park.
Leopard mom Jeena in 2018
Jeena came to the spotlight again in 2018, with 3 beautiful cubs. She became famous as a super mom raising these 3 healthy cubs of her own. The 3 cubs together with Jeena were a highly anticipated sight in Yala National Park around 2018.
She wasn’t scared to walk around with her small cubs in the heart of the very busy park. She managed to look after YF46 -Jane, YM44 -Jerry, and YM45 -Josh to adulthood showing her skills as a bold mother. Currently, her beautiful son Jerry has become a proud big boy and he is a quite popular leopard among Yala Safari-goers.
Leopard mom Jeena in 2022
Jeena got media attention again in 2022. With the arrival of YF47 – Jessi’s cub in 2022, Jeena became a legendary leopardess who could successfully raise 3 leopard generations in Yala National Park. Jessi is the granddaughter of Jeena. Thus, Jeena could see her cubs, her 2nd generation cubs, and also 3rd generation cubs over the years.
Jeena is one of the best moms and strongest females ever to roam in the park. In fact, it is her blood that still rules the best part of Zone I. We hope this legendary leopardess will stay strong and healthy forever.
2. YF15 – Hope
YF 15 – Hope is an extraordinary leopard mom with the best motherly instincts. Hope considers the most kind-hearted soul in Yala National Park because she raised both her own cubs as well as some adopted cubs. She is popular as “Rukwila Mom” among wildlife photographers. Hope’s presence made the Rukwila area a famous destination for visitors to see Hope and her cubs. She could be easily identified by her short tail.
Her first litter included YM30 – Ruban and YM31- Ruki in 2015. In 2019, she gave birth to a single cub called YM46 – Hans. She loved Hans very much and the cub followed her wherever she went. Eventually, Hans became a gorgeous adult leopard with his mother’s guidance. Brought up by his strong mother, Hans will always be sturdy and powerful.
Hope – The adoptive mother
In 2021, Hope gave birth to 2 cubs, one female and one male cub named YF68 – Hash and YM70 – Hasalaka. She protected them well and was spotted with these cubs on a number of occasions. There was an extraordinary sighting in Rukwila, where photographers could witness Hope with 3 cubs. It is believed that kind mom Hope adopted an estranged cub along with her own cubs.
In the below picture, the smaller cub belongs to Hope and the much grown-up cub belongs to Jennie. Generous mother Hope raised him as her own, showing her kind heart and maternal instincts. The estranged cub was later identified as YM67 -Jaya. Most importantly, when Hope decided to adopt Jaya, her male cub Hasalaka accepted him as his own sibling. This is an unbelievable story that was never observed in the wild before.
Both Hasalaka and Jaya grew up so quickly and became popular leopards in the park. They are quite handsome and well-habituated to safari jeeps. Especially, Hasalaka is fearless like his legendary mother and gives epic sightings to visitors of Yala National Park.
3. YF24 – Sage
Definitely, YF24 -Sage was the bravest leopard mom ever lived in Yala National Park. She was the courageous mother of Lucas – the current King of Yala Block I. Sage gave birth to her first cub named YF17 – Nova in 2015 and her second litter was 2 male cubs including YM16 – Lucas & YM17 – Lance in 2017.
She considers as a truly exceptional mother because she raised these two cubs without her lower canine tooth. The injury was speculated to be due to a wild boar attack. The loss of this most important tooth is a fatal injury for any leopard in the wild. Although the missing canine tooth made it difficult for her to hunt, Sage could raise her two male cubs into healthy adults.
The above pictures show Sage with her loosely hanging lower canine tooth. Definitely, raising 2 male cubs with an injured tooth wasn’t easy for her. This is an extraordinary accomplishment for a mother with an injury in the wild. Especially, raising her cub Lucas into a mighty King shows her unbelievable bravery and courageous efforts.
In July 2021, the senior leopardess Sage succumbed to injuries caused by a venomous snake bite at the Yala National Park. Although she is no more present, her legacy lives through her mighty son Lucas. Hats off to the fallen legend!
4. YF12 – Sasha
Nicknamed as the super mom of Yala, YF12 – Shasha is a legendary leopardess in the park. Born in 2016, Sasha successfully raised a number of great leopard personalities. Her first baby is YM54 – Sherlock born in the year 2020. Currently, Sherlock is a handsome big boy, living on his own.
Sasha’s second litter of three cubs was born in 2021. They became quite famous superstars in Yala National Park. Nicknamed as “Sasha’s brats” they were giving her a hard time by never letting their mom to rest. Although it wasn’t easy to deal with 3 kids at the same time, the super mom Sasha showed she is a kind and patient mom who cares for her babies a lot.
The 3 cubs of Sasha were named as YM72 -Scott, YM73 -Spencer, and YF71 -Salomi. These 3 playful cubs were extremely protected by Sasha. She well fed them and taught them the survival skills of the jungle from a tender age. They are so adorable and watching their playful behavior is an interesting experience for visitors.
Time is flying and it’s amazing to see these cubs are growing up so quickly and already becoming big, healthy subadults. They are getting closer to the two-year milestone and super mom Sasha will soon let them go to live on their own with great confidence.
5. YF32 – Strawberry
Nicknamed as the Queen of Yala National Park, YF32 – Strawberry is one of the prettiest and most photogenic leopardesses in the park. Since childhood, she is well habituated to safari jeeps and visitors. Fearless and bold, she doesn’t shy away from safari vehicles. Like the famous King Lucas, she gives plenty of opportunities for some iconic photographs.
Strawberry gave birth to her first litter in 2021. Her first baby is a female cub named YF64 – Sansa. She loved her daughter very much and they were inseparable since the birth of her lovely cub. Both mother and cub continued to make sightings in her territory until 2022.
She gave birth to her second litter in mid-2022. There were 3 beautiful cubs, 2 male, and 1 female. These adorable cubs who are as pretty as their mother became a hot sensation in the park. All the safari-goers in Yala are so keen to have a glimpse of these beautiful cubs.
6. YF2 – Jennie
YF2- Jennie is a fearless leopardess born in late 2014 to Jeena. As same as her legendary mother, Jennie widely contributed to grow the leopard population in Yala National Park.
Jennie has given birth to 3 cubs. In 2019, a single cub called YF47 – Jessi, and in 2021, two cubs called YM 67 – Jaya and YM68 – Junior. Jennie has quite interesting characteristics. She has a great friendship with Queen Strawberry and spotted hanging around with her on several occasions.
7. YF46 – Jane
YF 46 – Jane was born in 2018 as the daughter of the second litter of legendary leopardess Jeena. Thus, Jane is carrying out the bloodline of her superior mother. As Jeena is one of the most successful females ever to roam Yala National Park, Jane follows in her mom’s footsteps.
Her romance with one of the most dominant male leopards, YM11- Hitler is well documented. In 2022, she gave birth to a single cub. Jane and her cub were a quite popular sight in Yala National Park. She was observed taking her cub for morning walks and water holes while the cub was almost fully grown as his mother.
8. YF47 – Jessi
Born in 2019, Jessi is among the prettiest and youngest leopard moms in Yala National Park. She is the daughter of YF2 -Jennie and granddaughter of YF1 – Jeena. After giving birth to a single cub in 2022, Jessi became highly famous among wildlife photographers. Most importantly, the arrival of Jessi’s cub marked a special milestone in Yala National Park. Her cub belongs to the third generation of legendary leopardess Jeena. That means 3 generations of Jeena are currently living in the park.
Jessi is noted for her extreme love and care for her baby. There is an amazing video of Jessi and her cub which became very famous in social media. It was visible she was on high alert of the surrounding and gave ultimate protection to her cub. Her sweet cub was living in his own world while Jessi was quite vigilant and paying good attention to every single change in the surrounding.
9. YF29 – Monika
YF29 – Monika is one of the bravest leopard moms in Yala National Park. Although she always stays out of the media attention, she has given big leopard names to the park. Monika’s first litter was born in 2017, including YM27 – Michael and YF34 – Michelle.
Michael has become a big, strong boy, roaming around a large area to establish his own territory. Brave and powerful, Michael is challenging King Lucas and fighting with him to become the next King of Yala National Park.
In 2020, she gave birth to 2 cubs, YF55 – Malee and YM59 – Mega. Currently, both of them have become gorgeous adult leopards. Thus, Monika considers as one of the most successful leopardesses in Yala National Park who managed to raise all of her litter to adulthood.
10. YF51 – Machi
Machi is a quite shy female leopardess but made her name in history by giving birth to the rare black leopard cub in Yala National Park. This first-ever black leopard cub was observed in March 2023, when he was crossing the road with his mother.
Currently, the whereabouts of this special mom and cub are unknown. We hope she will protect this precious cub and reappear soon with her majestic black boy.
To sum up, these are the best leopard mothers in Yala National Park who managed to raise their cubs into fearless, powerful adults. These well-habituated leopard moms helped a lot to turn Yala National Park into a safari paradise with many socialized leopards. Thanks to them, Yala has the highest density of leopards in the whole world. These leopard moms are icons of the park, who need the admiration of all wildlife enthusiasts. Welcome guys, visit Sri Lanka and witness these legendary leopard moms in Yala National Park!
Source yalaleoparddiary.com. Image credits have shown below each picture. All copyrights are reserved by the original authors.
