Deer, boar and buffalo in Yala

Spotted deer, also called chital or axis deer, are the most common large animal in Yala. Herds of a dozen to fifty graze on the open plains and around waterholes, the stags carrying three-tined antlers. They are seen on every drive, often within minutes of the gate.

Spotted deer are the Sri Lankan leopard's main prey in Yala, and a herd on alert, all heads turned one way, is worth stopping for. In the soft light of early morning or late afternoon, a herd crossing a plain is one of the loveliest sights in the park.

Sambar are Sri Lanka's largest deer, dark brown and heavy-bodied, with stags carrying large antlers. In Yala they are less common than spotted deer and keep closer to cover and water, often seen at dawn or dusk.

Barking deer, or muntjac, are small, shy and usually alone. Their sharp, dog-like bark carries through the scrub and is a common alarm call when a predator is near.

Wild boar are common in Yala, rooting along the tracks and around waterholes, often in family groups. They are bold, sometimes bad-tempered and a regular target for leopards, especially the young.

Water buffalo in Yala live in the park as wild herds, wallowing in tanks and lagoons through the heat of the day. Adult bulls are huge and usually too large for a leopard, though calves are vulnerable. Some are descended from domestic stock, which is still debated.

Two primates live in Yala. Tufted grey langurs are slender, long-tailed leaf-eaters, often seen in trees near water. Toque macaques, endemic to Sri Lanka, are smaller, reddish and noisy, with a distinctive cap of hair.

Langurs often feed in trees above grazing spotted deer, dropping leaves and fruit, and the two species warn each other of danger. A langur's harsh alarm call from a tree is one of the best signs of a leopard nearby.

Black-naped hares are common on the tracks at dawn and dusk and are frequent leopard prey. Golden jackals hunt the open ground and scavenge kills, and ruddy and grey mongooses cross the tracks often.

These smaller animals are easy to miss, but they fill in the picture of how Yala works. A jackal circling, or a mongoose standing upright and staring, can be the start of a story.

In Yala, the deer, boar and monkeys are the best predator detectors you have. A spotted deer's high-pitched alarm call, a sambar's honk, a barking deer's bark or a langur's harsh cough all mean the same thing: something dangerous is moving.

Lankan Stays & Trails asks drivers to stop and listen when alarm calls start, rather than race to a radio report elsewhere. Many of the best leopard sightings begin with a deer staring into the scrub.