Guwahati, Jan 31: In a recently released report on the snow leopard population in India, two northeastern states are the habitat of nearly 60 of the 718 majestic big cats in the country.
The Union Home Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, released the report on the status of snow leopards in India on Tuesday during the National Board for Wildlife meeting in New Delhi.
The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) programme is the first-ever scientific exercise that recorded a snow leopard population of 718 individuals in the country. It systematically covered over 70 percent of the potential snow leopard range in the country, involving forest and wildlife staff, researchers, volunteers, and contributions from knowledge partners.
Covering approximately 120,000km2 of crucial snow leopard habitat across the trans-Himalayan region, including the UTs of Ladakh and J&K and states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, the SPAI exercise was conducted from 2019 to 2023 using a meticulous two-step framework.
The snow leopard occupancy was recorded in 93,392 km2, with an estimated presence in 100,841 km2. A total of 241 unique snow leopards were photographed. Based on data analysis, the estimated population in different states are as follows: Ladakh (477), Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21), and Jammu and Kashmir (9).