Telangana home to 334 leopards, AP prides itself on housing 492 big cats
In its 'Status of Leopard in India 2018' report, the Union Ministry of Environment has put the population of big cats at 12,852.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 23 Dec 2020 12:28 PM IST
Hyderabad: Leopard population in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh has been estimated at 334 and 492 respectively.
In its 'Status of Leopard in India 2018' report, the Union Ministry of Environment has put the population of big cats at 12,852.
Madhya Pradesh tops the list with 3,421 leopards followed by Karnataka with 1,783 and Maharashtra 1,690.
According to the survey, the highest number of 8,071leopards have been found in Central India and the Eastern Ghats. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana fall under this region.
The Western Ghats comprise Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Kerala. Four states are home to 3,387 leopards. There are 1,253 leopards in Shivalik and Gangetic Plains which include Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Bihar. In North East hills, 141 leopards were found.
Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said there has been over 60% increase in leopard population since the 2014 census. "The animal population has increased to 12,000 in 2018 from around 8,000 in 2014," said Prakash Javadekar.
