International Leopard Day is annually observed across the globe on 3rd May to raise awareness about the conservation and protection of leopards, the most adaptable of the big cats, and their habitats worldwide.
About Leopard (Panthera pardus):
i.Leopards are powerful big cats closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China.
ii.Leopards are listed as “Vulnerable” in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, with some subspecies classified as Critically Endangered.
- Leopard meets the A2cd criterion for Vulnerable, based on loss of habitat and prey, and exploitation.
iii.Leopards occur in the widest range of habitats among Old World Cats. They are found in over 60 countries around Eurasia and Africa.
Key Facts:
i.Leopard spots are known as rosettes, and each leopard’s rosette pattern is unique – similar to human fingerprints.
ii.Leopards are predominantly nocturnal and hunt under the cover of darkness.
Threats to Leopards: Habitat destruction; Depletion of prey; Human-wildlife conflict over livestock; Unsustainable trophy hunting, poaching for body parts and skins.
Leopards in India:
i.India has a significant population of leopards, boasting genetic diversity unparalleled among their Asian counterparts.
ii.India is home to 13,874 leopards, Madhya Pradesh leads with 3,907 leopards, followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
iii.Alwar’s (Rajasthan) Sariska Tiger Reserve is home to 21.43 leopards every 100sq km, making it the highest density of leopards inside a tiger reserve among all camera-trapped sites across India.
Click to know about the Status of Leopards in India
