5 Best Places To See Leopards in India
Leapt, ran rapidly and chased the stream, it was my dear Leopard,
Perhaps flashed a yellow bolt thought the naïve shepherd!
Leopard (Panthera pardus), a nimble-footed creature is known for its strength, agility, swiftness and elegance. This elusive creature is known by different names in the local languages of India. Most commonly known as Baghera and Tendua, it has got another beautiful name called Guldaar. The rose patterned spots on its coat called Rosettes helped the creature to acquire the name Guldaar, which in literal translation means “flower holder”.
A medium sized Felid, it is such a charismatic creature, whose one sight can cease the time and take our breaths away. Listing down 5 key destinations to sight this elusive cat;
- Satpura National Park, located in M.P, Central India, serves as a rich home to this opportunistic being. The park is one of the finest destinations to sight this twinkle-toed, leaping from one place to another. Satpura is home to diverse flora and fauna ranging from myriads of birds, mammals, butterflies and trees. Although Satpura is also a Tiger Reserve but this park is more popular for Leopards and Sloth Bears apart from its pristine natural beauty and the Denwa river.
In recent years the Leopard population of Satpura has gone very high, making the sightings quite frequent. A study conducted by WII in 2007 on the ecology of Leopards in Satpura National Park and Bori Wildlife Sanctuary (both parts of Satpura Tiger Reserve) is an evidence of healthy population of the cat in this area. They are known to be nocturnal animals but the fortunate increase in their population in Satpura has led to frequent sightings in the day time also.
- Tadoba Andhari National Park in Maharashtra is popularly known to be the land of the Royal Bengal Tigers but the park is blessed by a healthy population of other wildlife, including Indian leopards, Sloth Bears, Crocodiles & the Indian Gaur. In 2018, a Belgian family was lucky to spot a sub adult partial black leopard at a waterhole on a late evening safari in the Kolsa Range. It was difficult to believe the sighting, however, the forest officials captured the majestic cat sighting through their camera trap and the presence of black cats was confirmed and is dotingly called ‘Blackie’ by the park officials & is a splendid sight to behold.
- Popularly known for the leopards sightings, Pench National Park, in Pench, M.P has been a favourite destination for wildlife enthusiasts. Adding to the abundance of this elusive cat in Pench, a recent sighting of a black leopard cub near Karmajhiri gate added more excitement to this destination for wildlife sightings. The melanistic cub is about 8 months old and is born to a non melanistic mother.
- Jhalana Safari Park in Rajasthan, is said to currently hosts a good and healthy population of leopards, has gained quick popularity among wild enthusiasts.
- As we move away from Central India, Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand, is becoming a popular destination choice because of its increasingly high population of leopards.
No you know where all can these ghosts of the jungle be sighted more frequently. If you wish to steal serene moments and spot the elegant Guldaar, then we could be your safari partners. Write to us at [email protected] to know more.
Courtesy : Malvika Verma
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