Black Leopard Spotted In Odisha’s Sundergarh, Forest Dept Confirms Its Presence

The Odisha forest department on Thursday confirmed the presence of a black leopard in Garjan hill area under Dhanu Baunsa reserve forest region in Sundargarh district.

The confirmation came days after the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF-Wildlife) Susanta Nanda asserted the presence of black leopards in various forests of Odisha.

As per reports, as many as 25 trap cameras were installed in the reserve forests as part of the tiger census exercise in 2023. The last time a black leopard was sighted in the same reserve forest was in 2018.

The forest department has decided to focus on measures to ensure the safety of the black leopard, the department said.

Sundergarh Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Sanjib Panda said, "We had installed 25 trap cameras in the reserve forest as part of the all-Odisha tiger census. Pictures of a black leopard were captured in one of the cameras.”

On the other hand, the department has started an investigation to check if there are other tigers in the reserve forest or not.

Two days ago, PCCF Susanta Nanda posted, "The camera evidence proves that the black leopard is still surviving. Black leopards are still there in various parts of Odisha. During the tiger counting, we got evidence of black leopards at three places. Besides, we have other evidence about the presence of black leopards in other places.”