Sanjay Gubbi, Amrita M. Menon, Kiran Prabhu & Shravan Suthar

Leopards (Panthera pardus) are one of the most widespread large carnivores belonging to the Felidae family. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognises nine subspecies, of which the one present in India is Panthera pardus fusca. Leopard occupies a variety of habitats from rainforests in the tropics to deserts and temperate areas. They tend to be an elusive and solitary species.

This report provides the first estimates of leopard abundance and density for Marikanive State Forest in Chitradurga Forest Division in central Karnataka