New Delhi, Feb 29: The Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, unveiled a report on Thursday, revealing that India’s leopard population has grown to 13,874 (Range: 12,616 – 15,132).

The report, titled ‘Status of Leopards,’ highlights stable or slightly increasing leopard populations in Central India (2018: 8071, 2022: 8820), while the Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains experienced a decline (2018: 1253, 2022: 1109). The sampled areas from 2018 to 2022 across India indicate a 1.08 per cent per annum growth.

“In Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains, there is a -3.4 per cent decline per annum, while the largest growth rate was in Central India and Eastern Ghats of 1.5 per cent,” the report stated. Madhya Pradesh houses the largest leopard population in the country — 3907 (2018: 3421), followed by Maharashtra (2022: 1985; 2018: 1,690), Karnataka (2022: 1,879; 2018: 1,783), and Tamil Nadu (2022: 1,070; 2018: 868).

The tiger reserves or sites with the highest leopard population are Nagarajunasagar Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), followed by Panna (Madhya Pradesh), and Satpura (Madhya Pradesh).

The report highlighted that the fifth cycle of leopard population estimation (2022) in India focused on forested habitats within 18 tiger states, covering four major tiger conservation landscapes. This cycle conducted a foot survey spanning 6,41,449 km to estimate carnivore signs and prey abundance. Camera traps were strategically placed at 32,803 locations, resulting in a total of 4,70,81,881 photographs, capturing 85,488 images of leopards.

The findings underscore the vital role of Protected Areas in conserving leopard populations. The conservation legacy of ‘Project Tiger’ extends beyond tigers, evident in the leopard status report, showcasing broader species protection efforts.