Summary:
The state forest department will carry out the project along with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
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After a 12 year break, Uttarakhand forest department is again gearing up to conduct an estimation of the leopard population in the state beginning this December.
The state forest department has started identifying grids where leopards are usually found after which camera traps are likely to be placed.
Uttarakhand forest department chief wildlife warden JS Suhag said, “Till now, estimation of leopards has taken place in the state in tiger landscapes as it was done along with tiger estimation.
But now, we are working to conduct a state-wide estimation of leopard population as they are found almost everywhere in the state.”
“We are identifying grids where leopards are found, after which we will decide whether to deploy camera traps or to follow some other strategy for the process.
Given the topography of Uttarakhand, camera trapping will be a problem for us as leopards are found in hilly regions, and also near human habitations,” added Suhag.
He added that the state forest department will carry out the project along with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
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