Our state animal, the ‘Nilgiri leopard’, is found in significant numbers in the Nilgiri district, Mukurthi National Park under the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, and Valparai. Since its habitat is shrinking and on the verge of extinction, the state government has been implementing the ‘Nilgiri leopard conservation’ project since 2022 to protect it.
As part of this, a census of the number of Nilgiri leopards was conducted across the state for three days starting from April 29. During the same period, a census was conducted in the forests of Kerala. In the Nilgiri district, the census was conducted in Mukurthi National Park and the adjacent river areas including Naduvattam, Kuntha, and Gorakunda. Forest officials and wildlife researchers participated in this work.
It was revealed that there are 1,031 Nilgiri mountain goats in the state and 827 in the adjoining Kerala region. Furthermore, 203 Nilgiri mountain goats were found in the Mudumalai Mukurthi National Park.
Nilgiri Mountain Goat Project Director Ganesan said, “This year, the Nilgiri mountain goat census was conducted in the entire state in April. A similar census will be conducted next year as well. We are also creating awareness among the public to protect the mountain goats,” he said.
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