Mortality in the Protected Leopard’s Population, Uttarakhand, North India: A Free-Ranging Wildlife Species in Threat

Large cats are vulnerable to local extinction in fragmented landscapes mainly due to large scope developmental and anthropogenic activities. Present study highlights the mortality of protected leopard’s population in Uttarakhand state, north-west India. In between January 2009 to October 2010, 78 leopards have died due to various reasons accounted primarily for unnatural deaths. Maximum deaths occurred in between February 2009 & April 2010 and notably 37 leopards died since January, 2010. The mortality rate for females was significantly higher than for males. Notably, 11 leopards were found dead scrambled in trap and some deaths occurred while providing treatment after rescuing the animal. In addition, 21 cases of leopard’s poaching (illegal wildlife trade) were also documented in between January 2009 to March 2010 in which 35 leopard’s skins were recovered, which highlighted that poaching is also ongoing in some remote areas. Status of man-animal conflict in Uttarakhand is severely increasing; in between November 2000 to December 2008, 180 people died in leopard’s attack, whereas 343 were injured during encounters and leopard’s attacks. On the other hand, 394 leopards died due to other reasons during the said period and 50 were declared as man-eater, which were shot dead or translocated to other protected habitat. Here, we report on the mortality in protected leopard population of Uttarakhand state and conservation status. Such reports are highly required to know the status and our competence in illustrating success and failures of wildlife rescue operations besides in conservation of an endangered wildlife.