Indian leopard
Indian leopard | |
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In Nagarhole National Park | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Felidae |
Subfamily: | Pantherinae |
Genus: | Panthera |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | P. p. fusca
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Trinomial name | |
Panthera pardus fusca (Meyer, 1794)
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Synonyms | |
The Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) is a
Taxonomy
Felis fusca was the
Since leopard populations in Nepal, Sikkim and Kashmir are not geographically isolated from leopard populations in the Indian subcontinent, they were subsumed to P. p. fusca in 1996.[9][10]
Characteristics
The Indian leopard has strong legs and a long well-formed tail, broad muzzle, short ears and small, yellowish grey eyes, light grey ocular bulbs.[6] Its coat is spotted and rosetted on a pale yellow to yellowish-brown or golden background, except for the
The clouded leopard can be told apart by its diffuse "clouds" of spots compared to the smaller and distinct rosettes of the leopard, longer legs and thinner tail.[13]
Skull
The largest skull recorded for an Indian leopard belonged to a large black panther in the area of
Size
Male Indian leopards grow to between 127 cm (4 ft 2 in) and 142 cm (4 ft 8 in) in body size with a 76 cm (2 ft 6 in) to 91 cm (3 ft) long tail and weigh between 50 and 77 kg (110 and 170 lb). Females are smaller, growing to between 104 cm (3 ft 5 in) and 117 cm (3 ft 10 in) in body size with a 76 cm (2 ft 6 in) to 87.6 cm (2 ft 10.5 in) long tail, and weigh between 29 and 34 kg (64 and 75 lb).
The largest wild individual appears to have been a male man-eater that was shot in the Dhadhol area of Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh in 2016. It reportedly measured 262 cm (8 ft 7 in) from head to tail, 86 cm (34 in) at the shoulder, and weighed 71 kg (157 lb).[15]
Distribution and habitat
The Indian leopard is distributed in India, Nepal, Bhutan and parts of Pakistan.[1] Bangladesh has no viable leopard population but there are occasional sightings in the forests of Sylhet, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Cox's Bazar.[16][17] It inhabits
It is thought that the Indus River in the west and the Himalayas in the north form topographical barriers to the dispersal of this subspecies.[9] In the east, the Ganges Delta and the lower course of the Brahmaputra River are thought to form natural barriers to the range of the Indochinese leopard.[10]
In southern Tibet, it was recorded in Qomolangma National Nature Preserve.[18]
In Pakistan, it inhabits
In Nepal's Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, a melanistic leopard was photographed at an elevation of 4,300 m (14,100 ft) by a camera trap in May 2012.[24]
Population in India
In 2015, 7,910 leopards were estimated to live in and around tiger habitat in India; about 12,000 to 14,000 leopards were speculated to live in the entire country. The following table gives the major leopard populations in the Indian states.[5] As of 2020, the leopard population within forested habitats in India's tiger range landscapes was estimated at 12,172 to 13,535 individuals. Surveyed landscapes included elevations below 2,600 m (8,500 ft) in the
State | Leopards (2015) |
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Andhra Pradesh | 343 |
Bihar | 98 |
Chhattisgarh | 846 |
Goa | 86 |
Gujarat | 1395 |
Jharkhand | 46 |
Karnataka | 1,783 |
Kerala | 650 |
Madhya Pradesh | 3,421 |
Maharashtra | 1690 |
Odisha | 760 |
Tamil Nadu | 868 |
Uttar Pradesh | 316 |
Uttarakhand | 839 |
Behaviour and ecology
The leopard is elusive, solitary, and largely nocturnal. It is known for its ability in climbing, and has been observed resting on tree branches during the day, dragging its kills up trees and hanging them there, and descending from trees headfirst.[26] It is a powerful swimmer, although is not as disposed to swimming as the tiger. It is very agile, and can run at over 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph), leap over 6 m (20 ft) horizontally, and jump up to 3 m (9.8 ft) vertically.[27] It produces a number of vocalizations, including grunts, roars, growls, meows, and purrs.[28]
In Nepal's
The leopard is a versatile, opportunistic hunter, and has a very broad diet. In
Reproduction
Depending on the region, the leopard mates all year round. The estrous cycle lasts about 46 days and the female usually is in heat for 6–7 days.[35] Gestation lasts for 90 to 105 days.[36] Cubs are usually born in a litter of 2–4 cubs.[37] Mortality of cubs is estimated at 41–50% during the first year. Females give birth in a cave, crevice among boulders, hollow tree, or thicket to make a den. Cubs are born with closed eyes, which open four to nine days after birth.[38] The fur of the young tends to be longer and thicker than that of adults. Their pelage is also more gray in colour with less defined spots. Around three months of age, the young begin to follow the mother on hunts. At one year of age, leopard young can probably fend for themselves, but remain with the mother for 18–24 months. The average typical life span of a leopard is between 12 and 17 years.[39]
Sympatric carnivores
Indian leopards are not common in habitats where
In the tropical forests of India's
The leopard and
Threats
Hunting of Indian leopards for the illegal wildlife trade is the biggest threat to their survival. They are also threatened by loss of habitat and fragmentation of formerly connected populations, and various levels of human–leopard conflict in human–dominated landscapes.[2]
Several newspapers reported of leopards falling into open wells and being rescued with the help of Forest Department officials.[53][54][55]
Poaching
A significant immediate threat to wild leopard populations is the illegal trade in poached skins and body parts between India, Nepal and China. The governments of these countries have failed to implement adequate enforcement response, and wildlife crime remained a low priority in terms of political commitment and investment for years. There are well-organised gangs of professional poachers, who move from place to place and set up camp in vulnerable areas. Skins are rough-cured in the field and handed over to dealers, who send them for further treatment to Indian tanning centres. Buyers choose the skins from dealers or tanneries and smuggle them through a complex interlinking network to markets outside India, mainly in China.[56] Seized skins in Kathmandu confirm the city's role as a key staging point for illegal skins smuggled from India bound for Tibet and China.[57]
It is likely that seizures represent a tiny fraction of the total illegal trade, with the majority of smuggled skins reaching their intended end market.[56] Seizures revealed:
- in India: more than 200 leopards killed by humans every year,[58][59] leopards in India is 7 times more likely to be killed than Indian tigers.[59] WPSI reported that during 1994-2010 at least 3,189 leopards were killed,[59][60][61][62][63][64] then again in 2002-2010 period at least 200 or four leopards per week were reportedly killed by poachers for illegal trade.[58] For every tiger skin, there are at least seven leopard skins in the haul.[59]
- in Nepal: more than 40 leopards were reported killed by humans every year, e.g. 243 poached leopards between May 2002 and May 2008;[56][57][65][66][67]
- in China and Tibet: nearly 130 leopards were killed every year, e.g. more than 774 poached leopards between July 1999 and September 2005.[56][57]
Human–leopard conflict
Causes of conflict
Expansion of agriculturally used land, encroachment by humans and their livestock into protected areas are main factors contributing to habitat loss and decrease of wild prey. As a result, leopards approach human settlements, where they are tempted to prey on dogs, pigs and goats – domestic livestock, which constitutes an important part of their diet, if they live on the periphery of human habitations. Human–leopard conflict situations ensue, and have increased in recent years. In retaliation for attacks on livestock, leopards are shot, poisoned and trapped in snares. The leopards are considered to be unwanted trespassers by villagers. Conservationists criticize these actions, claiming that people are encroaching on the leopard's native habitat.[68][69] India's Forest Department is entitled to set up traps only in cases of a leopard having attacked humans. If only the presence of a crowd of people prevents the leopard from escaping, then the crowd has to be dispersed and the animal allowed to escape.[70]
As urban areas expanded, the natural habitats of leopards shrunk resulting in leopards venturing into urbanized areas due to easy access of domestic food sources.[71] Karnataka has a high number of such conflicts.[72][73] In recent years, leopards were sighted in Bangalore, and the forest department captured six leopards in the city's outskirts, relocated four of them to various other locations.[74]
Man-eater leopards
Every year more leopards are killed by humans than the humans killed by leopards. On average nearly 400 leopards are reported killed yearly in India, Nepal and China combined based on the leopard skins caught from the poachers,
The frequency of Leopard attacks on humans varies by geographical region and historical period. Since India and Nepal have the majority of Indian leopards population, consequently attacks are regularly reported only from India and Nepal.[76][77] Among the five "big cats", leopards are less likely to become man-eaters—only jaguars and snow leopards have a less fearsome reputation.[78][79] While leopards generally avoid humans, they tolerate proximity to humans better than lions and tigers and often come into conflict with humans when raiding livestock.[80]
Attacks in India are still reported, since leopards population in India outnumber population of all other large carnivores combined, consequently the number of humans killed by leopards is also more than those killed by all other large carnivores combined.[81][82]
In Nepal, where most attacks occur in the midland regions, i.e. in the
Historically, with rapid urbanization in late 19th and early 20th centuries, leopard attacks may have peaked in India during those times.
Ways to minimise conflict
Key to avoiding conflict or leopard's predation of humans is to shift the focus on human's behavioral change to minimise the chances of a leopard encounter or attack, which can be achieved by "clearing bushes and overgrowth around homes to minimise hiding spaces for leopards, leaving a light on at night to deter them, and ensuring people, especially children, did not go out alone at night." Leopards are shy and avoid humans and are more active at night, during encounter with leopards "give way to the leopard and move away calmly" and alert the forest department immediately.[84]
Conservation
Panthera pardus is listed in
Frederick Walter Champion was one of the first in India who after World War I advocated for the conservation of leopards, condemned sport hunting and recognised their key role in the ecosystem.[89] Billy Arjan Singh championed their cause since the early 1970s.[90]
There are a few leopard rescue centres in India, such as the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar,[91] but more rescue and rehabilitation centres are being planned.[92] Some wildlife experts think that such centres are not an ideal solution, but that conflict resolution by way of changing human behaviour, land use or grazing patterns and implementing responsible forest management to lessen human-animal conflict would be far more effective to conserve leopards.[93]
In culture and literature
- An Indian
- The book Kumaon.[95]
- Ajoba is a 2014 Marathi film directed by Sujay Dahake and written by Gauri Bapat. It is supposedly based on true events.[96]
- Local people in the Western Ghats call a darkish grey panther 'Pogeyan', which purportedly lives in the high-altitude grasslands of the Anamudi forest.[97]
See also
References
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Further reading
- Athreya, V.; Odden, M.; Linnell, J. D. C.; Krishnaswamy, J.; Karanth, U. (2013). "Big Cats in Our Backyards: Persistence of Large Carnivores in a Human Dominated Landscape in India". PLOS ONE. 8 (3): e57872. PMID 23483933.
- Biswas, R. (2020). The Indian Leopard - In the Realm of the Phantom. Tellwell Talent.
External links


- Species portrait Panthera pardus in Asia and short portrait P. pardus fusca; IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group
- wild-cat.org — Information about research and conservation of leopards in Asia
- Project Waghoba — Leopard Research and Conservation Project in Western Maharashtra, India
- Wildlife SOS: After 5 years, 3 leopards get a better life (archived 23 May 2013)
- Mumbai's Film City shut down after five leopard attacks