Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), May 4: The Odisha government has initiated its own leopard enumeration to determine the precise population of these majestic cats within the state, coinciding with the upcoming three-day elephant census scheduled to commence on May 22nd.
Official sources reveal that the All-Odisha Leopard Estimation is currently underway across 51 forest divisions utilizing trap camera technology as an indirect sighting method. A total of 3,312 trap cameras have been deployed for this purpose.
For the leopard enumeration, trap camera images obtained during the previous Tiger Estimation Exercise, conducted from September 15th to January 31st, are being utilized as reference points.
In designated tiger reserves, close monitoring of leopards will be conducted, with a pair of trap cameras installed every 2km X 2km grid. In other areas including wildlife sanctuaries, five pairs of trap cameras will cover every 25 square km.
The decision to undertake this independent leopard census was prompted by the findings of the Status of Leopard in India 2022 report, which highlighted a significant decline in the leopard population in Odisha. According to the report, the leopard count in the state stood at 568 in 2022, a notable decrease from the previous count of 760 in 2018.
The forthcoming elephant census, scheduled from May 22nd to 24th, marks the first enumeration of its kind in seven years. The All-Odisha Elephant Estimation 2024 will be conducted across 43 divisions utilizing the direct count method.
The last elephant census in 2017 reported a total head count of 1,976 elephants in the state, representing a marginal increase from the previous figure of 1,954 recorded in 2015.
