Uttarakhand is reporting the largest fall in the leopard population.

According to the most recent assessment report, which was released on Thursday, the number of leopards in the nation has increased by 1,022 (nearly 8%) in four years, from 12,852 in 2018 to 13,874 in 2022. The number of big cats has decreased in some states, including Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Odisha, and Telangana.

Since the Himalayas and other semi-arid regions of the nation, which are not tiger habitats, were not tested for the exercise, the actual number may be a little higher because the estimates indicate a population of 70% of leopard habitat.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi hailed the rise in the leopard population as “great news” and said, “This significant increase in leopard numbers is a testament to India’s unwavering dedication to biodiversity.” The fifth assessment cycle involved a foot survey covering 6,41,449 km in order to estimate the abundance of prey and carnivore signs. 32,803 camera traps were strategically placed to capture a total of 4,70,81,881 photographs, of which 85,488 photos of leopards were obtained.

“The report emphasizes conservation commitment beyond protected areas, lauding the forest department’s dedicated efforts. Project Tiger’s inclusive approach underscores ecosystem inter-connectedness and diverse species conservation,” said Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, who praised the results and said they demonstrated that Project Tiger’s conservation legacy extended beyond tigers and showcased broader species protection efforts.

“The leopard assessment is not a stand-alone wildlife monitoring exercise. In a sense, these data are a by-product of the government-led monitoring of tigers in India, so the data for the leopard report largely comes from areas that were covered for the national tiger monitoring,” wildlife expert Pranav Chanchani of WWF-India responded when asked why only 70% of the leopard habitat was surveyed during the assessment.

The largest population of leopards in the country is found in Madhya Pradesh (3907), followed by Maharashtra (1985), Karnataka (1,879), Tamil Nadu (1,070), and Chhattisgarh (722). Uttarakhand, on the other hand, reported the highest decline, from 839 in 2018 to 652 in 2022. Chanchani, lead-species at WWF-India, stated, “Leopards are an adaptable species and also occupy secondary forests and other areas that cannot be easily monitored, at scale.”

Geographically, the leopard population in central India is stable or slightly increasing (from 8071 in 2018 to 8820 in 2022), while the leopard population in Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains declined (1253 in 2018 to 1109 in 2022). Although the leopard population shows 1% annual growth if we look at the area that was sampled both in 2018 and 2022, it reported a decline of 3.4% per annum in Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains. The highest annual growth was recorded in central India and the Eastern Ghats.