Nagarjuna Sagar - Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) is the area with the highest number of leopards. In the recently released EnviStats-2024 report of the Central Statistics Department, it has been revealed that there are a total of 270 leopards in this range and another 90 are roaming in this forest area. Forest officials said that most of the leopards compared to 55 tiger conservation centres in the country are located here. Lions and big tigers live only in certain areas. Cheetahs are not like that. They can survive everywhere. For this reason they roam in the plains as well.
Nallamala forest, which is speeded in between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states, is the birthplace of biodiversity. Central government has established NSTR Tiger Reserve in this area as it is suitable for the habitat of big tigers. The forest area is spread in Nandyala, Prakasam and Palnadu districts of Andhra Pradesh and Mahaboobnagar of Telangana State. It has a tiger sanctuary covering an area of 1,401 square kilometers. It has more than eighty big tigers.
The forest officials are taking special measures to protect the leopards in the region. They are constantly monitored to avoid falling prey to smugglers or Tiger poachers. To quench their thirst in summer, officials are setting up saucer pits and taking necessary measures to avoid fire hazards in the forest area. These factors also contributed to the increase in the number of leopards.
Counting of big tigers and cheetahs is done in different ways. One way is to collect their footprints. If it is rectangular, it is female and if it is square, it is male. A tiger's foot is measure 14 to 15 cm long, while a cheetah's foot is 7 to 8 cm long. Wild animals are also detected by setting up camera traps in the areas where they roam. No two tigers have the same stripes and spots. The number is calculated based on this parameter also.
