The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) report that as many as 192 leopards have disappeared from the State in the last four years has sparked concerns about the sharp drop in the number of leopards in Odisha.
As of 2018, there were up to 760 leopards living in the forests of Odisha, according to the NTCA’s Status of Leopards in India-2022 report. In 2022, the figure has decreased to 568. In the past four years, there has been a 25% decrease in the number of leopards in the forests of Odisha.
Concerns about the report have been expressed by wildlife activists and the Forest Department, as several leopard hides have been seized in different areas of the State.
But Susanta Nanda, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) for Odisha, declined to acknowledge the veracity of the report revealing a sharp drop in the leopard population in the State. According to Nanda, the tiger census conducted by the NTCA in 2022 compared to 2018 revealed a significant decrease in the number of leopards in Odisha due to the use of fewer camera traps.
In order to gather data for the 2018 leopard census, the NTCA placed cameras in up to 14 locations across the State. Nevertheless, as of 2022, there are only three locations with cameras: Simlipal, Satkosia, and Sunabeda. In the Simlipal buffer zone, where the greatest concentration of leopards can be found, not even a single camera has been installed. It is the primary cause of the NTCA report’s stark depiction of the State’s leopard population decline, according to Nanda.
According to Nanda, in May of this year, a simultaneous census of elephants and leopards will take place, in addition to Odisha conducting its own census of leopards.
“To determine the precise number of leopards in the State, a simultaneous census of elephants and leopards will be carried out in Odisha in May 2024. Every forest in the state will have trap cameras installed as part of the census, Nanda continued.
Anup Nayak, a former Odisha PCCF, disputed Nanda’s assertion, nevertheless. According to Nayak, there are no issues with the NTCA’s census procedure.
Since 2006, the NTCA has adhered to the same procedure. There have been no method errors, and the procedure has received approval from several international forums,” Nayak stated.
Similar to tigers, leopards also require corridors. Unfortunately, the State lacks appropriate corridors that would allow leopards to roam freely. Conflict with humans is causing a decline in their numbers. To keep leopard corridors in the State intact, the right actions must be taken. Stopping poaching and fortifying our information network are imperative,” Nayak stated.
Meanwhile, from the start of 2023 until now, up to 21 leopard skins have been found in Odisha, according to a report from the Crime Branch’s Special Task Force (STF). These figures will make the outcome of the next leopard census, which the Odisha government is scheduled to conduct, much anticipated.
