Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will undertake a leopard census from May along with an elephant census, informed Wildlife PCCF Sushant Nanda.
A recent report released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on the leopard census in the country said that while the population of these big cats increased across the country, the number of leopards declined in Odisha. However, the Odisha government is of the view that there are some errors in the NTCA leopard census report and, hence, it is evaluating the report.
The decision to undertake an independent leopard census is a result of this view.
According to the PCCF, the NTCA report is an assessment of leopards. Secondly, in 2022, the camera traps were installed only at three locations. On the other hand, during the 2018 survey, camera traps were placed in 14 locations.
However, there is some good news for Odisha in the NTCA leopard census of 2022. The report says that the number of leopards has increased in Similipal and Satokoshia in the state.
Though the NTCA’s leopard assessment report is acceptable, the PCCF said they could not agree on the figure as the cameras covered a very small area.
