Snow leopard count on rise in Uttarakhand, says principal conservator

DEHRADUN: In a welcome news for wildlife lovers just a day before the International Snow Leopard Day, the count of the elusive leopard, also known as the 'ghost of Himalayas', has risen to 121 in Uttarakhand, said principal conservator Sameer Sinha on Friday.


"Interim results of snow leopard count have arrived. The campaign was, of late, carried out in a joint collaboration between the state forest department and Wildlife Institute of India," Sinha added.


According to the forest department, during the last count in 2016, only 86 snow leopards were detected in the state. The latest report suggests that snow leopard density has swelled in the high-altitude reserved territories, spanning across a total area of about 12,764 sq km.

The counting process has been conducted under Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) in two rounds by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change.

Forest officials said that camera traps were installed in Govind National Park, Kedarnath wildlife division, high altitude areas of Nanda Devi biosphere and trans Himalayan areas from July to November 2021. Similar data was compiled from cameras set up at Gangotri National Park and Uttarkashi forest division. World Wildlife Fund India collected data by installing cameras at Munsyari in Pithoragarh.

Snow leopards are usually found at an altitude of 9,800 ft to 17,000 ft in the high and rugged terrains. These elusive big cats are at present spotted in only 12 countries with its total count estimated to be between 3,000 and 7,000. In 2016, about 516 were detected in the entire India. Expressing his joy, state forest minister, Subodh Uniyal, said the latest report reflects that the government is working in the right direction to protect wildlife and forests.