Srilanka, Feb. 4 -- Referring to a recent report claiming that a dog was used as bait to lure leopards for photography purposes in the Wilpattu National Park, Conservation Biologist Ranil Nanayakkara vehemently denied the accusations, calling them "fabricated stories."

The controversy began after reports emerged suggesting that the dog, which had been roaming freely around the park, was deliberately placed in harm's way to attract leopards for tourists to photograph.

This theory was further fuelled by the dog's appearance in videos, where it was seen interacting with a leopard. Some suggested that the dog was being used to provoke a leopard encounter.

However, Nanayakkara, who has extensive field experience in Wilpattu, explains that ...