Snow leopard count in Himachal Pradesh rises to 83

The population of snow leopards in Himachal Pradesh has increased significantly over the past four years. As per a study conducted by the Himachal Pradesh Wildlife Wing in collaboration with the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), Bengaluru, the count of snow leopards rose to 83 in 2025 from 51 in 2021.

“The study also documented the presence of two new wild species in Himachal -- woolly flying squirrel and Pallas’s cat,” said Amitabh Gautam, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Wildlife, while inaugurating the 74th Wildlife Week here yesterday.

The first official sighting of Pallas’s cat was recorded in Kinnaur, and the woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus) was spotted in Lahaul.

The survey, the second after 2021, employed a large‑scale camera‑trapping exercise across six sites over the 26,000 sq km habitat of snow leopards in the state. The study found that the snow leopard density ranged from 0.16 to 0.53 individuals per 100 sq km. The trans-Himalayan regions of Spiti and Pin valleys, followed by Upper Kinnaur and Tabo, recorded the highest density.

Snow leopards were mostly detected in the protected areas such as the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, Great Himalayan National Park, Sechu Tuan Nala Wildlife Sanctuary and the Lippa Asrang Wildlife Sanctuary. Some snow leopards, though, were detected outside the protected areas as well.

The wildlife officials are attributing this increase in the number of snow leopards to a more conducive habitat and better survey methodology as compared to the 2021 study. “Snow leopards showed lesser movement in the second study, which shows the habitat has improved and there is more prey available for them,” said Shah Nawaz Bhatt, DFO, Wildlife, Shimla.

Besides, the survey was completed in one year, which also yielded more reliable data. Meanwhile, Gautam said that snow leopards in Himachal were under threat and the Wildlife Wing was playing a key role in their conservation. “Many wild species are on the verge of extinction. The Forest Department, along with the Wildlife Wing, is taking important steps to protect them,” he added and urged people to actively participate in wildlife conservation.