Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh has retained the tag of ‘leopard state’ by recording the highest population of the big cat at 3,907, according to an official report released on Thursday by the Union forest and environment ministry.
The leopard population has increased from 3,421 in 2018 to 3,907 in 2022 in the state, the ‘Status of Leopards in India’ report released by Union environment minister Bhupendra Yadav, has revealed.
Madhya Pradesh has also earned the tag of ‘tiger state’ by recording the highest number of tigers at 785 in the latest census.
The leopard survey has found that India has an estimated leopard population of 13,874.
With 3,907 individuals, Madhya Pradesh has the largest population of leopards in any state, followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, according to the report.
As per the report, areas with the largest leopard populations are Nagarjunsagar Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh, and Panna and Satpura in Madhya Pradesh.
“Central India shows a stable or slightly growing leopard population (8,820 in 2022 against 8,071 in 2018), the Shivalik hills and the Indo-Gangetic Plains experienced a decline (from 1,253 in 2018 to 1,109 in 2022)”, the Union ministry said in a statement.
