In the expansive Himalayas, the elusive snow leopards, adorned in grey-white fur, are a rare sight. With a population numbering just 718, they inhabit two Union Territories and four states within the Himalayan region. India, among 12 countries hosting these majestic creatures, may harbor one-sixth to one-ninth of the global population of these revered "Ghosts of the Mountains."
Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav disclosed the findings of India's inaugural scientific assessment of snow leopard populations. The assessment revealed Ladakh as the territory with the highest count of snow leopards (477), followed by Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21), and Jammu and Kashmir (9).
Spearheaded by the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, with collaboration from all snow leopard range states and two conservation partners, the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru, and WWF-India, this marks India's pioneering endeavor in Snow Leopard Population Assessment.
