Leopard poaching: India’s blind spot
At least four leopards are poached every week in India, according to a new study by a group of conservationists.
The report by Traffic documented 420 seizures of leopard skins, bones and body parts between 2001 and 2010, said the BBC.
It says the northern state of Uttarakhand is the biggest source for leopard parts, while Delhi is the hub of illegal trade.
Leopards are a protected species in India and all international commercial trade in their body parts is banned.
Wildlife experts say there are no reliable population estimates of these big cats in India, but according to rough estimates, there are about 10,000 leopards in the country.
The report – Illuminating the Blind Spot: A study on illegal trade in Leopard parts in India estimates that around 2,294 leopards have been trafficked in India during the 10-year span.
The study says that most of the leopard parts are smuggled to Asian countries like China, Burma and Laos through India’s porous border with Nepal.
Ian Jarrett
Have your say Cancel reply
Subscribe/Login to Travel Mole Newsletter
Travel Mole Newsletter is a subscriber only travel trade news publication. If you are receiving this message, simply enter your email address to sign in or register if you are not. In order to display the B2B travel content that meets your business needs, we need to know who are and what are your business needs. ITR is free to our subscribers.
































Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025