Leopard count up 7.9%; slight dip in Shivalik hills

Aksheev Thakur

New Delhi, February 29

India’s estimated leopard population increased from 12,852 in 2018 to 13,874 in 2022, marking a rise of 7.9 per cent, said the Union Environment Ministry said on Thursday.

Central India has seen 9.2 per cent growth in the number of leopards, according to the report on the status of leopards in India, which was released by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav.

In 2018, the region housed 8,071 felines and the number soared to 8,820 in 2022. Reserves or sites with the largest leopard population are Nagarjunasagar Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh followed by Panna and Satpura in Madhya Pradesh.

Maharashtra has 1,985 of them, followed by 1,879 in Karnataka, 1,070 in Tamil Nadu. The Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains have seen a decline in their numbers, which dwindled from 1,253 in 2018 to 1,109 in 2022. “In the Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains, there is a 3.4 per cent decline in leopard population per annum,” the report said. The leopard population estimation was carried out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India in collaboration with the State Forest Departments.

Nod for International Big Cat Alliance

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the setting up of the International Big Cat Alliance with headquarters in India, having a one-time budgetary support of Rs 150 crore for a period of five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28.