3 min readMumbaiMay 5, 2025 01:24 PM IST
First published on: May 5, 2025 at 05:26 AM IST
A camera-trap survey held between February and June 2024 has revealed the presence of 57 leopards in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and adjoining landscapes, reinforcing the resilience of wildlife in the heart of Mumbai.
Of the 57 leopards recorded in the survey, held by the Maharashtra Forest Department and Wildlife Conservation Society India (WCS India), 54 were in SGNP and neighbouring Aarey Milk Colony. They included 36 females, 16 males, and two of undetermined gender. Four cubs were also photographed, a sign of good breeding activity. In the Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (TWLS), three adult male leopards were spotted.
“The continued presence of these magnificent leopards in such a densely populated urban region speaks volumes about nature’s resilience — and the importance of conserving the green spaces they depend on. Scientific monitoring exercises like this are vital for understanding the status of our wildlife and planning informed conservation actions,” said Anita Patil, Conservator of Forests and Park Director, SGNP.
The survey also showed the survival of three female leopards that were initially recorded in 2015, after almost a decade as a sign of both survival and site fidelity in difficult, human dominated landscapes.
Camera traps were set at 90 points — 57 in SGNP and 33 in TWLS —and recorded a variety of other animals, such as chital, sambar, jungle cats, palm civets, rusty-spotted cats and even mouse deer. One male leopard was photo-captured close to Vasai Fort, 9 km from TWLS, indicating long-distance movement across fragmented habitats, traversing villages, highways and railway tracks.
Beyond numbers, the survey also focused on capacity building. Over 50 forest department personnel were trained in scientific wildlife monitoring techniques, enabling them to independently conduct similar exercises in the future.
Encroachments an issue
Though the rising leopard population is welcomed from a conservation point of view, environmentalists caution that human-leopard conflict has escalated in the peripheral zones of the park. Leopards have been spotted occasionally near residential colonies in Aarey, Goregaon and even Mulund, raising safety concerns on both sides.
“The rising leopard numbers also mean that they need more space. Encroachments in buffer zones and forest fringes are a serious threat, not only to wildlife but also to human lives,” said BN Kumar, Director of NatConnect, an NGO working on urban biodiversity and advocating systematic removal of illegal structures and preventing further development in forest buffer zones.
Wildlife officials have persistently raised alarm over increased enforcement against illegal settlements, dumping garbage and open food waste, which all invite prey animals such as stray dogs leading leopards closer to human settlements.
“Installation of safe garbage disposal units and encouragement of waste segregation methods can discourage the number of stray dogs and other prey animals that lure leopards to human habitations. Enhanced policy implementation and coordination with law enforcement authorities for discouraging illegal settlement and encroachments can prevent the encroachment of leopard habitats and minimise human-wildlife conflict,” said Dr Bharat Bhushan, Honorary Secretary, Bombay Natural History Society.
The core and buffer areas of the park have witnessed encroachments increase over time, especially in Aarey and adjacent areas. Activists call for the state government and the civic administration to survey these intrusions and take stern action before it results in permanent habitat loss.
The survey also showed the survival of three female leopards that were initially recorded in 2015, after almost a decade as a sign of both survival and site fidelity in difficult, human dominated landscapes (Express/Bhupendra Rana) 
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