As tigers & cheetahs hog MP focus, leopards pay the price; 149 die in 14 months across state

Bhopal: While cheetah reintroduction grabs global attention and tiger conservation continues to dominate policy focus, Madhya Pradesh, home to the country's largest population of leopards, appears to have taken its sights off the fast emerging threats to another key big cat species.Data accessed through an RTI filed by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey reveals that as many as 149 leopards died across the state in just 14 months (January 2025 to February 2026) largely by highways, electrocution and increasing human presence.Of the total deaths, 31% were due to road and highway accidents, while electrocution accounted for about 5%, showing how roads and unsafe electric lines are becoming major threats. Nineteen deaths were reported on highways alone, as roads cut through forest areas used by wildlife. With an estimated population of 3,907, the highest in India, leopards continue to live across forests as well as near villages and towns, say officials.Seoni, located along the busy Seoni–Nagpur highway and forming an important wildlife route, has emerged as a major danger zone where animals frequently cross roads with fast-moving traffic. Similar patterns have been seen in the Raisen–Bhopal belt near Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary and in Narmadapuram near the Satpura landscape, where road accidents involving wildlife are regularly reported.In the Indore and Malwa region, a different threat is more common. Leopards are dying due to electrocution while moving through farm areas. At least eight deaths have been linked to electrocution.Activist Dubey said, "The loss of 149 leopards in just 14 months reveals a grim reality for Madhya Pradesh. While the state takes pride in its ‘Tiger State' status, it has inadvertently become a graveyard for leopards. The fact that nearly one-third of these deaths are caused by road accidents points to a systemic failure to implement safe corridors and hold linear infrastructure projects accountable to NTCA protocols. We are not just losing animals; we are losing the balance of our ecosystem to negligence."Chief Wildlife Warden Samita Rajora said the department has taken note of the trend. "We are looking into the cases and analysing the deaths," she said.