DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qrfj6q5sn
title: Data from: From snared to swimming – Some observations on the rescue, treatment, release and monitoring of an injured Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)

description: The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) is a threatened endemic
 sub-species and the island’s apex predator. Wire snares represent a
 substantial threat to leopards here with conservation officials routinely
 working to rescue snared leopards. This process can lead to injury
 treatment, rehabilitation, and translocation, the outcomes of which are
 poorly understood. Here we report on the rescue and ex-situ treatment and
 recovery of a snared young adult male leopard, as well as its
 post-recovery release and monitoring. This was the first GPS
 radio-collared translocated leopard in Sri Lanka. The leopard was snared
 in a human-dominated, unprotected region of the Central Highlands and
 underwent surgery and 4 months of treatment before being released within a
 lower elevation protected area ~20 km from the capture site. The leopard
 made immediate, clear and rapid directional movements towards its original
 range, island-hopping by swimming across open water on three occasions
 (distance range: 90 - 650m) to return, within 3 weeks, to a
 human-dominated, agricultural landscape ~10 km from its original capture
 site. Practical Implication: Although the leopard’s age and sex, and
 characteristics of the release suggest a reasonable probability of
 success, longer monitoring was required to determine the ultimate success
 of the release. The leopard’s immediate attempt to return towards its
 capture location supports previous research indicating that translocation
 should be avoided unless circumstances allow little other choice.
description: This dataset is comprised of GPS telemetry re-locations from a
 monitored Sri Lankan leopard. Locations were uploaded remotely to a
 dedicated website. Data processing included removing all re-locations with
 DOP &lt; 2.0 to ensure accuracy. The dataset also includes estimated
 locations based on VHF tracking using triangulation. This was conducted
 after the battery powering the GPS relocations died. Finally the dataset
 also includes the GPS location where the leopard was originally snared,
 taken using a handheld Garmin GPS unit and the dates and locations within
 the Victoria-Randenigala-Rantambe Sanctuary where previous leopards were
 released.
description: # From Snared to Swimming – Some observations on the rescue, treatment,
 release and monitoring of an injured Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus
 kotiya)
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qrfj6q5sn](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.qrfj6q5sn) ## Description of the data and file structure The data is comprised of: 1. GPS telemetry data collected from a radio-collared Sri Lankan leopard that was rescued, treated, collared and released after being caught in a snare in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. The collar was programmed to get re-locations every 2 hours.  2. VHF tracking data collected using standard triangulation techniques after the GPS relocations were no longer being taken.  3. The GPS location where the leopard was snared taken using a hand-held Garmin GPS unit.  4. The GPS locations where previously treated and released leopards were released with Victoria-Randenigala-Rantambe Sanctuary taken using hand-held Garmin GPS unit \***NOTE**: All coordinates are in decimal degrees and have been revised to 3 decimal places. This provides an accuracy of ~110m. This was done because the Sri Lankan leopard is a Threatened species so highly accurate locations have the potential to compromise conservation. ### Files and variables #### File: VRR\_archive.xlsx **Description:** Excel file consisting of 7 spreadsheets: 1) VRR leopard GPS all raw (raw version of all GPS relocations from when collar fitted to leopard on 20/04/2023 while still in holding cage), 2) VRR leopard GPS all (same as previous but formatted for excel), 3) VRR leopard GPS post-release (same as 2) but starting from release of the leopard (24/04/2023 14:00:00 GMT +5 1/2 hrs), 4) VRR leopard GPS DOP &lt;2 (same as 3) but using only those relocations with DOP values = or &lt; 2.0), 5) VRR leopard VHF estimates (Estimated coordinates of leopard location based on physical tracking of VHF signal using triangulation with a Yagi antenna), 6) Snared leopard location (hand-held GPS location of where leopard was found caught in snare), 7) VRR previous leopard releases (hand-held GPS locations of where previously rescued and translocated leopards were released within VRR. All coordinates are in WGN 84 decimal degrees.  ##### Variables **Spreadsheet 1) VRR leopard GPS all raw:** *Frequency* = GPS collar frequency; *ID* = GPS collar ID; *Date/Time [GMT]* = date and time of GPS relocation attempt in Greenwich Mean Time; *Date/Time [Local]* - date and time of GPS relocation attempt in Local Time (GMT+5 1/2 hrs); *Lattitude* = Latitude of GPS relocation in WGN 84 Decimal Degrees; *Longitude* = Longitude of GPS relocation in WGN 84 Decimal Degrees; *Altitude [m]* = the elevation above sea level in meters of the GPS relocation; *FixStatus* = the quality of the GPS relocation based on satellites (2D, 3D etc.); *DOP* = Dilution of Precision measures the potential error in fix locations with DOP &lt; or = 2.0 considered highly accurate; *Temp [C]* = Temperature of collar at relocation time in degrees Celsius; Main [V] = voltage of the main battery; Back [V] = voltage of the backup battery. **Spreadsheet 2) VRR leopard GPS all:**  the same as above except as an excel file **Spreadsheet 3) VRR leopard GPS post-release:** Same as above but only those positions taken after the leopard was released (starting 24/04/2023 14:00:00 Local Time (GMT +5 1/2 hrs)) **Spreadsheet 4) VRR leopard GPS DOP &lt; 2**: Same as above but only those positions taken after the leopard was released and with DOP values = or &lt; 2.0.  **Spreadsheet 5) VRR leopard VHF estimates:** *Date* = date of VHF tracking attempt; *Lat *= Latitude of estimated VHF location in WGN 84 Decimal Degrees; *Long *= Longitude of estimated VHF location in WGN 84 Decimal Degrees; Note = whether the attempt was successful ("estimated location - triangulation") or not ("no signal detected"); *Features =* anything interesting about the estimated location. **Spreadsheet 6) Snared leopard location:** *ID* = number of snared leopard; *Event* = what was being recorded;* X *= Latitude of snaring location in WGN 84 Decimal Degrees; *Y *= Longitude of snaring location in WGN 84 Decimal Degrees. **Spreadsheet 7) VRR previous leopard releases**: *Date* = date of release; *N* = Latitude of release site in WGN 84 Decimal Degrees; *Longitude* = Longitude of release site in WGN 84 Decimal Degrees; *Sex* = sex of the animal being released.