Snow leopards, also known as the ‘Grey Ghosts of Spiti’ in Himachal Pradesh, are some of the most mysterious creatures in the world.
But, over the years, the dwindling population of the endangered species had wildlife officials worried.
So, to tackle the falling numbers of the endangered snow leopards, wildlife reserves had taken considerable amount of steps. And, finally the results are positive.
The number of endangered snow leopards has increased, all thanks to the efforts of the state forest department and conservationists of Himachal Pradesh.
According to reports by Hindustan Times, the wildlife wing of the forest department said that their population is more than 100 which is great news.
This year, during a survey conducted by the wildlife wing and the Nature Conservation Foundation of India, 49 snow leopards were spotted in Miyar, Chandra, Bagha and some other districts in the upper Spiti region.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, the Principal Chief Conservator Wildlife Savita said:
We followed the landscape adoption approach under which we take care of snow leopards, their prey base and the livelihood of people. The surveys have been encouraging.
Sanjay Kumar Dhiman, another wildlife official who has authored Cats of Himalayas said:
The frequent sighting of leopards is a good sign. It shows that they live in a healthy environment.
In 2016, when the department conducted a similar survey in a scientific manner, there were 67 snow leopards at that time. Earlier, there were only 20 leopards spotted across the state which was an alarming situation.