Opening up young minds to leopard conservation
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Leopard deaths are increasingly reported in the news and while snares appear to be mostly the cause, it is merely an outcome of larger threats such as deforestation and loss of habitat which prompt leopards to venture out of dense forests and visit villages looking for food. Life with Pulli, an educational picture book for children about leopard conservation helps young readers understand why these magnificent animals are threatened and what we can do to protect them in our wilds.
Tharanga Gunawardena’s book aims to develop an idea about leopard conversation from a young age. Apart from the story, the book comprises a worldwide map of leopards, a ‘read more’ page about the Sri Lankan leopard, and a glossary.
Tharanga with her book
Tharanga’s passion for environmental and wildlife conservation blossomed after working in a local environmental organisation. It was then she realised that educating the younger generations is one of the most sustainable methods of supporting conservation. Currently, she is with Room to Read (Sri Lanka), an INGO that promotes literacy and gender equality through quality education.
Tharanga says she was prompted to write the book to help children understand about wildlife conservation: why it is important, what we as humans can do to protect vulnerable species and also to help them understand that the survival of threatened wildlife depends on protecting their habitat.
‘There is also an enormous void of children’s books in the Sri Lankan market, especially in the nonfiction genre and for early primary grades. I only came to realise this after working with Room to Read. Our children’s book market comprises mostly foreign books which represent foreign cultures and we grow up learning about other cultures and wildlife more than our own. As a result, we as adults do not quite comprehend local issues or know how to find solutions to them.
Tharanga says she set out to present facts in a picture book in the form of storytelling not only to introduce the leopard or its behaviour to children but emphasise conserving them by protecting their environment.
She spent much time on research and also reached out to veteran wildlife conservationist, Rukshan Jayewardene who has been studying the Sri Lankan leopard over the past 20 years. “I couldn’t have had a better mentor,” she says gratefully. “The other source of support is my illustrator Lisa- Marie Chambers. She has done an exceptional job portraying the atmosphere of Wilpattu. I also wanted to ensure to have the leopard drawn accurately (such as getting the spots right) and Lisa- Marie helped me achieve that goal quite well.
“I hope that the children who read this book will grow up with this awareness and not harm nature or wildlife for selfish reasons. If at least one child understands and respond to it when they grow up, then I think I’ve accomplished my mission of writing this book. I also hope that this book will encourage other local authors and illustrators to publish more books about local issues and cultures, be it fiction or nonfiction.
‘Life with Pulli’, is now available to purchase locally via Who We Are and Barefoot bookshop. It is also available via Amazon KDP for international purchases.