Leopard Numbers Show 8% Rise from 2018 to 2022 | 01 Mar 2024

According to a report made public by the Environment Ministry, India’s leopard numbers rose by 8% from 12,852 in 2018 to 13,874 in 2022.

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).
Uttarakhand reported a 22% decline in the big cat numbers, due to poaching and human-animal conflict.
- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal saw a collective 150% rise to 349 animals.
In the analysis coordinated by the Wildlife Institute of India, the Shivalik hills and the Gangetic plains recorded 3.4% yearly decline, while Central India and the Eastern Ghats, the Western Ghats and the hills of the northeast, and the Brahmaputra flood plains recorded growth of 1.5%, 1% and 1.3% per annum respectively.
Leopard numbers have declined in Ramnagar forest division (Uttarakhand), where tiger numbers have shown a very steep growth in the past four years.
- The significant increase in leopard population reported in the northeastern States was due to a "sampling artifact", indicating that there were few systematic surveys and fewer cameras installed in previous years.

It is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
It was established in 1982.
It is based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
It offers training programs, academic courses, and advisory in wildlife research and management.