5 June 2019


The leopards in India have started to slowly change their spots, at least in the public imagination. Studies and surveys from 2006 onwards indicate that leopards are not merely a species limited to India’s forests and wildlife sanctuaries.

Naturalists have long known that leopards occupy a wide range of habitats, from farms to forests. Still, without closer study, biologists and managers have earlier found it difficult to ascertain whether the leopards in an area are residents or merely transient visitors ‘straying’ outside forests and wildlife protected areas, as frequently reported in news media.

A slew of recent scientific studies and surveys, using trail cameras, radio collars, and other field techniques, is now providing a better understanding of leopards and gradually transforming conservation actions as applied to the cat. The research also suggests that dealing with leopards in human-dominated landscapes by capture and removal or translocation to new areas is not as effective a solution as it was once thought to be.

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