Leopard deaths in India at five-year high

Leopard deaths in India at five-year high. According to information given to Parliament by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), 260 leopards have been poached since 2015.

At least 431 leopards were killed in 2017, 440 in 2016, 399 in 2015 and 331 in 2014. There were 12,000 to 14,000 leopards across India, according to a 2016 census. The highest leopard mortality in 2018 was recorded in Uttarakhand with 93 deaths, followed by Maharashtra (90), Rajasthan (46), Madhya Pradesh (37), Uttar Pradesh (27), Karnataka (24) and Himachal Pradesh (23). 64 cases of leopard poaching were recorded in 2015, 83 in 2016, 47 in 2017 and 66 till October 2018. In recent past, several incidents of leopard deaths due to road and rail accident have taken place in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka.