Leopard sighting in Sukhna sanctuary brings cheer to Chandigarh wildlife dept

A fully grown leopard has been spotted in the Kansal area of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, a first in nearly three years.

“The leopard was spotted in camera trap on November 17 in the Kansal area of the sanctuary. Its presence indicates the effective management and healthy habitat for wildlife in the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary,” Navneet Kumar Srivastava, deputy conservator of forests and wildlife, UT, shared with delight.

Before this, a leopard was last captured on camera in the city in April 2021, near a water body in Kansal forests.

The camera trap was installed by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, as part of the wildlife census carried out by the UT forest department.

In early May 2021, leopard pug marks were also seen at the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary while carrying out the second wildlife census at the reserve forests.

During the first Covid-19 lockdown in the country in March 2020, a leopard had strayed into Sector 5. It was caught and released in the wildlife sanctuary at Morni Hills in Panchkula.

In January 2022, two more wild animals — a jungle cat and a barking deer — were spotted for the first time in the sanctuary.

Spread over an area of 2,600 hectares in Chandigarh, the sanctuary has a large number of water holes, grazing grounds and good plantation, including natural regeneration of indigenous species, providing an ideal habitat for wildlife.

The department of forests and wildlife had carried out a detailed wildlife survey in the sanctuary from May 5 to 9, 2021, with technical assistance provided by WII.