New count stands at 12,852
The ‘Status of Leopard in India 2018’ report was released today by Union Minister of Environment, Prakash Javadekar. PM Modi applauded the efforts undertaken by everyone working towards animal conservation, in his tweet. The census conducted in 2018, showed an increase in the count of leopards in the country, from 7,910 in 2014, to 12,852 in 2018, a jump of almost 60%.
The highest number of 8,071 big cats was found in central India and eastern ghats, which include Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In the Western Ghats region, which comprises of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Kerala, there are 3,387 leopards, and 1,253 leopards in the Shivalik and Gangetic Plains, which includes Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttarakhand. In northeast hills, there are only 141.
Leopards are among the most adaptable carnivores and are known to exist very close to human habitations.
