Status of Leopards in India Report 2022

• ‘Status of Leopards in India Report 2022’ was recently released.
• The Leopard population estimation (5th cycle) was carried out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India.
• It was in collaboration with State Forest Departments, as part of the quadrennial “Monitoring of Tiger, Co-predators, prey and their Habitat-2022”.

MAJOR FINDINGS

• India’s leopard numbers rose by 8% from 12,852 in 2018 to 13,874 in 2022.
• While the highest number of leopards were reported in Madhya Pradesh (3,907), only three other States reported over a 1,000 animals each — Maharashtra (1,985), Karnataka (1,879) and Tamil Nadu (1,070).
• The survey covered 20 States of India, and focussed on about 70% of the animals’ expected habitat, which are India’s tiger reserves and protected forest areas.

 ABOUT INDIAN LEOPARDS

• Scientific Name- Panthera pardus fusca
• Geogrpahical spread- India, Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of Pakistan
• It is solitary and nocturnal in nature.
• Indian Leopards are good climbers and rely on trees for cover, so are found in various forested habitats, including rainforest, dry deciduous forest, temperate forest and northern coniferous forest (excluding mangrove forests and deserts).
• Unlike tigers, which are largely confined to forest reserves, leopards are far more adaptable and tend to be found in significant numbers, in villages and, sometimes, even in cities.
  • They are also known to prey on cattle and thus be involved in conflict.
• Other Threats- Habitat loss, illegal trade of skins and body parts, and persecution due to human-leopard conflict and livestock depredation.
• Protection Status–
  • IUCN Red list status- Vulnerable
  • CITES- Appendix I
  • WPA 1972- Schedule 1