35 leopards have been spotted in and around the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, according to a study conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India and the park authorities. The survey area covers about 140 square kilometers of the well known forested region as well as Aarey Milk Colony, and Nagla Block. Over 44 days, cameras positioned in grids of 2 x 2 square kilometers, recorded footage from 5pm to 7am.
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park was separated into 3 blocks, each of which had 9, 10 or 12 cameras installed in strategic locations after taking into account what locals had to say about the trails. The researchers who participated in the study were able to identify up to 31 leopards. But the software that was used by the survey team eliminated standard errors and sightings, only to put the number at 35.
As per the information recorded between December last year and April 2015, the density of this gorgeous spotted animal is 21.6 per 100 square kilometers. These figures are very good as pitted against other comparable areas, according to park director Vikas Gupta. Apart from leopards, the cameras also captured the black-naped hare, jungle cat, mouse deer, rusty-spotted cat and palm civet.
Leopards in the national park prey on stray dogs in and around the forest cover since these are easy to catch. The unfortunate canines account for about 24.5 percent biomass in the carnivore’s diet, going by analyses of scat. Apart from this quick treat, these big cats also have 12 other species of animals to pick from including the common langur, sambar deer, chital and bonnet macaque.
As TOI notes, an older survey of the leopard population in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park estimated them to number at 21. But the method used for the study was different and hence the data cannot be taken into consideration in the newer one.