India has 718 snow leopards, as per first-ever population assessment

NEW DELHI: Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav today released the first-ever Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) during the meeting of National Board for Wildlife in New Delhi. The SPAI is a first of its kind scientific exercise on the status of Snow leopards in India.

The report stated that 718 Snow Leopards are present in India with Ladakh having the most at 477, followed by Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Jammu and Kashmir. It further mentioned that Snow leopard occupancy was recorded in over 93 thousand square kilometers of area with an estimated presence in over 1 lakh square kilometers. The SPAI covered over 70 percent of the potential snow leopard range across the trans-Himalayan region in the country with approximately 1 lakh 20 thousand square kilometers of area over the last four years.

The report also mentions the need for establishing a dedicated Snow Leopard Cell at Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun with a primary focus on long-term population monitoring, supported by well-structured study designs and consistent field surveys. It has advised the States and Union Territories to consider adopting a periodic population estimation approach in the Snow leopard range.

Related Environment News

359 dead,over 10,000 affected by cholera outbreak in Nigeria

ABUJA:An outbreak of cholera killed at least 359 people in 33 Nigerian states including the southwestern state of Lagos between January and September this year, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said in a new report on Thursday. In an update on the cholera outbreak i....

60 deer held captive in Nalco released into Kandhara jungle by Dhenkanal authorities

DHENKANAL: Around 60 deers who were confined in an enclosure in Nalco township have been successfully shifted to Kandhara reserve forest by Dhenkanal forest authorities recently. Among the 60 deer 22 are male and 38 are female. By flouting laws Nalco authorities had kept these deers for years ....

Volcanic eruption begins in Iceland

Reykjavík, Aug 23: A volcanic eruption has begun in Iceland near the town of Grindavik, and an evacuation of the nearby area has been announced, the RUV broadcaster reported on Friday, citing Grindavik fire chief Einar Sveinn Jonsson. The volcanic eruption followed a powerful earthquake....

Youth seriously injured by beer attack in Khamar

ANGUL:A 33-year-old village youth was seriously injured by attack by a wild bear today near his village jungle this morning.The name of the injured Biju Munda of village Phulajhari under Khamar police station under Khamr range.The seriously injured Munda was rushed to Khamar hospit....

Tata Steel Meramandali, NHAI Dhenkanal, and Angul Administration Launch Plantation Program

DHENKANAL: In a significant move towards environmental sustainability, Tata Steel Meramandali (TSM), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Dhenkanal and the Angul District Administration jointly organized a mass plantation drive under the 'Ek Ped Maa ke Naam' campaign. Around 1,000 saplings wi....