Odisha’s leopard population has increased by 22%. It has increased from 568 to 696 between 2022 and 2024.
The All Odisha Leopard Estimation 2024 has been released. It estimated a median count of 696.
The Forest department had conducted a survey across 47 forest divisions.
As per the latest NTCA report, the leopard population in India stands at 13,874.
As per the Wildlife Protection Society of India, around 1,485 leopards were poached in the country in the last 10 years.
Odisha’s forest cover is about 33.50% of the State’s total geographic area.
A statewide field survey was also conducted to identify the presence of leopards through various signs, including pugmarks, scrapes, scats, rakes, urine spray, etc.
59 leopard skins were seized from wildlife smugglers between 2018 and 2023 in Odisha.
