Status of Leopard in India, 2022 report released: What does the report indicate?

On February 29, the Union Environment Ministry released the "Status of Leopards in India 2022" report. The report made many important findings regarding the population of leopards in the country. Here are all the key findings of the report explained.

Finding 1: The number of leopards in India

The Status of Leopards in India, 2022 report suggests an estimated number of leopards in India. The numbers suggest an increase in the population. As per the report, there were an estimated 12,852 leopards in the country in the year 2018. As per the report, the number of leopards has increased to 13,874.

Finding 2: Which areas in India have the highest number of leopards?

The Panthera pardus fusca, commonly referred to as the Indian leopard, and a subspecies of the Panthera pardus are spread across numerous forested areas in India and its neighboring countries such as Bhutan, Pakistan, and Nepal.

As per the report released recently by the Union Environment Ministry, the highest population of leopards, that is a total of 8,820 leopards, are found in the Eastern Ghats and Central India. Then, the place with the second highest number of Indian leopards in the country is the Western Ghats, having over 3,596 Indian leopards. Then Shivalik Hills and the Gangetic Plains have a total of 1,109 leopards.

If one analyses the population on the basis of the states of the country, then, as per the report, the state of Madhya Pradesh has the largest number of leopards, a total of 3,907 in the country. The second largest number of leopards in the country can be found in the state of Maharashtra, which holds a total of 1,985 leopards in all, followed by the state of Karnataka has a total of 1,879 leopards, and Tamil  Nadu, having a total of 1,070 leopards. As per the report, there is only a marginal increase in the number of leopards in the country.

Finding 3: Which areas have seen a decrease in the population of Indian leopards?

There is only a marginal increase in the number of leopards. In fact, some regions in the country have seen a decline in the number of leopards. For instance, the Gangetic Plains and the Shivalik Hills have seen a decline in the number of leopards, which accounts for over a 3.4 percent decline per annum in the number. The number of leopards in the region in the year 2018 was 1,253, but as per the report, the number declined to 1,109 in the year 2022.

If one analyzes the decline in the number state-wise, then the state of Odisha saw a decline from 760 leopards in the year 2018 to 562 leopards in the year 2022. In the state of Uttarakhand, the number of leopards declined from 839 to 652, in the years 2018 and 2022 respectively. The states of Chhattisgarh, Goa, Bihar, Kerala, and Telangana have also seen a decline in the number of leopards.