The highly endangered snow leopard population in Himachal Pradesh has almost doubled, rising to 83 from 44 individuals recorded in 2021, according to the latest survey jointly conducted by the Nature Conservation Foundation and the Wildlife Wing of the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department.
Significantly, for the first time, two new species, the Pallas’s cat and the woolly flying squirrel, have also been spotted during this survey.
The second state-wide snow leopard assessment report, The Status of Snow Leopard in Himachal Pradesh 2025, confirms the species’ strong presence across high-altitude landscapes, particularly in Spiti, Pin Valley, Upper Kinnaur and Tabo, which recorded the highest densities.
The copy of the report, which is with this newspaper, reads, “Our sampling resulted in 44 individual adult snow leopards identified from 262 independent detections across the six sites. At the level of the sites, our sampling from high occupancy stratum resulted in USL having 12 individual snow leopards from 90 detections, Tabo with 6 individual snow leopards from 46 detections, Pin with 8 individual snow leopards with 35 detections and Kinnaur having 9 individual snow leopards from 58 detections. From the low occupancy stratum, Lahaul-Pangi had 8 individual snow leopards from 32 detections, and Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) had 1 individual snow leopard from 1 detection.”
The survey found snow leopard density ranging from 0.16 to 0.53 individuals per 100 km². Using large-scale camera trapping across six representative sites covering nearly 26,000 km², researchers photographed adult leopards 262 times, leading to an estimated state-wide count of 83 adults, excluding cubs.
“At the state level, our SECR analysis resulted in the estimated snow leopard density of 0.35 (95% CI: 0.23 - 0.53) snow leopards per 100 km² and abundance of 83 (95% CI: 67 - 103) adult snow leopards in Himachal Pradesh. Density and abundance in the high occupancy strata were 0.46 (0.37 - 0.57) snow leopards per 100 km² and 59 (48 - 73) snow leopards. In the low occupancy strata, density and abundance were 0.18 (0.14 - 0.23) snow leopards per 100 km² and 24 (19 - 30) snow leopards,” it added.
The report further stated that mountain ungulates such as blue sheep and ibex are key determinants of the snow leopard population. It is widely accepted that the availability of wild ungulates determines the population of large carnivores.
“We found fluctuations in wild ungulate abundance over the years, and the snow leopard density has largely remained constant. Blue sheep fluctuated in abundance from 786 in 2020 to 1,094 in 2024, whereas ibex fluctuated in abundance from 92 in 2020 to 146 in 2024,” it read.
It is not just snow leopards; during this survey, two new species — the Pallas’s cat and the woolly flying squirrel — were also recorded for the first time.
“This large-scale camera trapping exercise across the state also recorded other mammals residing in snow leopard landscapes of Himachal Pradesh. In 2024, we got a newer and first-time record for two species, the Pallas’s cat recorded near Nako in Kinnaur, and the Woolly flying squirrel recorded from Miyar Valley in Lahaul,” stated the report.
The survey states that blue sheep, Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan wolf, Himalayan ibex, common leopard, mountain weasel, Himalayan musk deer, red fox, stone marten and yellow-throated marten were also recorded.
The incidental detections of these mammals contribute to refining range maps, documenting previously unrecorded occurrences, and identifying critical biodiversity hotspots within the landscape. These findings enhance understanding of species distribution, habitat use and potential ecological corridors, offering crucial data for conservation planning beyond snow leopards.
“As seen from the ensemble outputs, the two main prey species of the snow leopard, ibex and blue sheep, are found dispersed across the snow leopard landscape of Himachal Pradesh. The Ibex occurs primarily in rugged areas from around Pin Valley in Spiti going west, including regions of Kibber to Lossar in Spiti and large areas of Lahaul including Bhaga, Miyar and Chandra valleys. Parts of Chamba (Pangi and Bharmour) are also regions of high occurrence for them. The blue sheep on the other hand are a bit more restricted with high occurrence areas around Hangrang valley of Kinnaur and across the Spiti region, particularly Tabo and USL. They prefer more undulating areas with proximity to cliffs,” it reads.
It further added, “Musk deer were predicted to occur predominantly across the Greater Himalayas with particularly high occurrence in Chamba (especially Pangi), parts of Lahaul, Kullu and lower Kinnaur. Musk deer detections were mostly in areas near tree cover. Brown bears were found to occur predominantly across the valleys in Lahaul, Chamba (Pangi and Bharmour), and parts of Kinnaur. Additionally, they were found to occur at the edge of Pin Valley connecting towards the Kullu and Kinnaur regions. They seem to prefer regions along the valley, especially near meadows.”
“Wolves were seen to occur in more rolling, plateau-like areas around Spiti and Lahaul. Interestingly, common leopards were found to have high occurrence along the southern rims of the snow leopard distribution within Himachal Pradesh, with increased occurrence in parts of Kinnaur (upper and lower) and high elevations of Kullu and Chamba. They also were seen to occur in pockets of Lahaul,” it concluded.
The study followed the Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India protocol, developed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in line with the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP).
Talking to this newspaper, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Spiti Wildlife Division, Goldy Chhabra said, “The Spiti landscape is one of India’s most ecologically significant and biodiverse regions. Going forward, our vision is to deepen scientific understanding of the movement ecology of the snow leopard, a keystone species and apex predator of this landscape. Simultaneously, we aim to document lesser-known species, including herpetofauna and amphibians, among others, to showcase the true species richness and ecological importance of the Spiti landscape to the world.”
Leopard sighting in Haryana
A search operation for a leopard was launched and an alert sounded by the forest department in Dhulkot after receiving information about the big cat’s sighting in a village in Ambala district of Haryana.
CCTV footage from the nearby area purportedly showed a wild animal resembling a leopard, they said, but the forest department is yet to confirm its presence. The forest department made an announcement in the village, urging residents to remain vigilant. A search for the animal is underway, according to officials.
