“The population of rare snow leopards in high-altitude tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh has increased by 62 per cent over the past four years,” reports CNBC.
Himachal Pradesh is a mountainous state in India with an average elevation of about 8,000 feet, and mountains rising to over 22,000 feet. It is roughly the size of West Virginia, with a population larger than Massachusetts and Indiana.
The number of snow leopards in Himachal Pradesh “stood at 51 in 2021, according to the baseline survey conducted by the Wildlife Wing of the state Forest Department. It has now increased to 83, officials said on Friday, citing the study conducted during the past year….The survey was conducted through a large-scale camera trapping exercise across six sites over an area of 26,000 sq km. The snow leopards and their habitats were detected in the tribal areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur and the Pangi valley. However, the study also recorded their presence beyond the protected areas, which comprise the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, Great Himalayan National Park, Sechu Tuan Nallah Wildlife Sanctuary and Asrang Wildlife Sanctuary.”
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