718 Snow leopards in India [MAP]

Snow leopards in India

Snow leopards hold great ecological importance as apex predators that influence high altitude ecosystems. They inhabit rugged terrain between 3200-5200 meters across India’s northern boundary, spanning six states and union territories. As keystone species exerting top-down regulation on prey populations, leopards also serve as indicators of habitat degradation and climate shifts. Beyond ecological roles, these elusive felids feature prominently in local culture and religion.

Until recently, snow leopard populations lacked scientifically rigorous assessment at regional and national scales. Early guesstimates placed global figures around 4000-7500, with 400-700 in India. However, recent advances incorporating advanced techniques have enabled refined methodologies and analysis.

This progress culminated in the 2019 launch of India’s Snow Leopard Population Assessment (SPAI) exercise under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Spanning 120,000 sq km across six states/UTs, this ambitious initiative aims to yield robust population data through systematic surveys. Findings will inform policies targeting threats like habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict facing these Vulnerable species and fragile Trans-Himalayan ecosystems they inhabit.

Population of Snow leopards in India

There are 6 State/UT having Snow leopards in India, according to the latest report “Status of Snow Leopard In India”, 2023 by MoEFCC.

1. Snow Leopard in Ladakh

• 126 unique individuals identified
• Estimated population of 477
• Density of 0.34 individuals per 100 sq km

Systematic camera trapping efforts across 8,604 sq km of snow leopard habitat in Ladakh yielded 10,789 images of 126 adult individuals distinguished by their unique forehead patterns. Sophisticated spatial capture-recapture statistical models were employed to analyze the detection data. Population size was estimated at 477 individuals, with a realized density of 0.34 snow leopards per 100 sq km. Reasons for Ladakh’s relatively high density include expansive terrain and abundant prey like ibex and bharal suiting snow leopard ecological needs.

Range wide habitat suitability modelling based on topography, vegetation and prey availability indicates peaks in western Ladakh, declining eastwards from factors like suboptimal terrain and extremes in elevation.

2. Snow Leopard in Jammu & Kashmir

• 9 unique individuals detected
• Estimated population of 9
• Density of 0.75 individuals per 100 sq km

Camera trapping surveys across snow leopard habitat in Jammu & Kashmir led to the identification of 9 individuals, including 7 adults and 2 sub-adults, based on their distinctive coat patterns. Spatial capture-recapture analysis of the detection data yielded a population estimate between 7-14, slightly higher than the minimum detected number. With a surveyed area of 1,206 sq km, the density was estimated at 0.75 snow leopards per 100 sq km.

3. Snow Leopard in Himachal Pradesh

• 44 unique individuals detected
• Estimated population of 51
• Variable density from 0.08 to 0.37 per 100 sq km

Camera trapping exercises across snow leopard habitats in Himachal Pradesh enabled the identification of 44 unique adult individuals, captured on 187 occasions. Population size was estimated at 51 total individuals based on spatial capture-recapture models, with an upper limit around 73. Snow leopard density estimates exhibited significant variation across the state, ranging from 0.08 to 0.37 individuals per 100 sq km.

Regions like Spiti and Pin Valley registered peak densities up to 0.37, contrasting lowest levels around 0.05 in parts of Lahaul-Spiti.

4. Snow Leopard in Uttarakhand

• 40 unique individuals identified
• Estimated population of 124
• Density range of 0.7 to 1.04 per 100 sq km

Systematic camera trapping efforts across Uttarakhand’s high altitude snow leopard range yielded 396 images of the felids from 26,773 trap nights, enabling the identification of 40 adult individuals. Statistical analysis estimated the state’s population at 124 individuals, with a standard error band of 103-145, inhabiting 17,710 sq km of habitat. This translates to a realized density between 0.7 to 1.04 individuals per 100 sq km — one of the highest across Indian states.

5. Snow Leopard in Sikkim

• 14 unique individuals detected
• Estimated population of 21
• Density of 0.4 per 100 sq km

Camera trap surveys across Sikkim’s high elevation region resulted in the identification of 14 adult snow leopards from 64 photographic capture events. Population size was estimated at 21 individuals inhabiting 5,179 sq km of snow leopard habitat based on robust spatial capture-recapture models. This translates to a density of 0.4 snow leopards per 100 sq km.

6. Snow Leopard in Arunachal Pradesh

• 8 unique individuals detected
• Estimated population of 36
• Density of 0.26 per 100 sq km

Cameras traps at 115 locations across Arunachal Pradesh’s snow leopard range yielded detections of 8 individual adults distinguished by their coat patterns. Robust spatial capture-recapture models estimated a statewide population of 36 leopards inhabiting 14,156 sq km, with possible upper limits around 51. This translates to an average density of 0.26 snow leopards per 100 sq km. Density estimates ranged across sampled landscapes from lows around 0.11 to highs near 0.57, indicative of distribution gradients influenced by terrain, prey availability and anthropogenic pressures.

Snow Leopard Habitat and Range in India

Snow leopards reside between 3200-5200 meters in the non-forested alpine and arid Trans-Himalayan tracts of India’s northern boundary. Their geographic range encompasses around 120,000 sq km across four states – Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh – and two union territories, Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir.

This expansive habitat features rugged terrain comprised of rocky outcrops, ravines and snow-capped peaks that snow leopards are exceptionally adapted to inhabit, as described in “Ecological Studies of Snow Leopard and its associated prey species in Hemis National Park, Ladakh” by Chundawat (1992). The gradient shifts from wetter alpine meadows in the east to the drier desert mountains abutting the Tibetan plateau in the rain-shadowed west.

The snow leopard’s high altitude ecosystem furnishes invaluable services like seasonal water storage and runoff critical for communities residing downstream. These habitats also nurture endemic wildlife alongside traditional pastoral economies and religious sites, earning conservation priority status. However, over 70% of snow leopard range falls outside protected areas, underscoring the need for community-based landscape level conservation efforts (MoEFCC, 2019). Precise mapping of snow leopard distribution serves to identify contiguous habitats for targeted programs.

Why Snow Leopard lives in Himalyan Regions?

Snow leopards primarily prey on wild mountain ungulates like Himalayan tahr, Asiatic ibex, argali and blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) which are well adapted to navigate steep rocky slopes of high altitude rangeland. Other supplementary prey species include smaller mammals like marmots, hares and gamebirds inhabiting alpine grasslands. However, widespread depletion of wild ungulates from overhunting and competition from free-ranging dogs is considered a growing threat to snow leopard survival prospects.

Availability of natural prey species closely links with snow leopard distribution and density, alongside terrain factors like rugged cliffs and ravines suiting the ambush hunting adapted predator. Within habitats, snow leopards show selection for steep slopes between 20-40 degrees with prominence of boulders, shrub cover and proximity to valley bottoms frequented by prey.

Snow Leopard Conservation Efforts

Early conservation attempts for snow leopards in India were limited to select protected areas, but forests make up just 34% of their range. The 2009 launch of Project Snow Leopard (PSL) by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) marked a shift towards participatory policies for community-based landscape level conservation. India also joined the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) demonstrating commitments to preserving this Vulnerable species under global cooperation frameworks.

These national and international efforts culminated in the high profile Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) initiative in 2019. The SPAI emerged from GSLEP’s Population Assessment of the World’s Snow Leopards (PAWS) exercise, aiming to generate robust nation-wide and state/UT-level population estimates through systematic methodologies.

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