Union Minister Bhupender Yadav released the Status Report of Snow Leopards in India

Current Context: On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, Sh. Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Government of India, released the report on the Status of Snow Leopards in India during the National Board for Wildlife meeting held in New Delhi.

• The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) Program, the first-ever scientific exercise, reports a Snow leopard population of 718 individuals in India.
• The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) coordinated this exercise, which was carried out with the support of all snow leopard range states and two conservation partners, the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru, and WWF-India.
• The SPAI systematically covered over 70% of the potential snow leopard range in the country, involving forest & wildlife staff, researchers, volunteers, and contributions from knowledge partners.
• The exercise covered approximately 120,000km² of crucial Snow leopard habitat across the trans-Himalayan region, including UTs of Ladakh and J & K, and states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

Question:

Q.1 What is the reported population of Snow Leopards in India according to the SPAI Program?
a. 500
b. 618
c. 718
d. 818