A leopard counting census will kick off in Assam from January 31, 2022, to check the leopard population in forest and non-forest areas. The first-of-its-kind census has been initiated by North Kamrup Forest Division in leopard-dense areas of Amingaon.
The counting will be done through the camera-trapping method with 50 cameras that will be installed in Sila Reserve Forest, Changsari, NIPER, AIIMS, etc, surrounding Amingaon.
According to Divisional Forest Officer Sunnydeo Choudhary, the camera trapping will be done for a period of 24 weeks, and data from each camera will be extracted every seven days.
A one-week execution program has been planned by North Kamrup Forest Division for conducting the census that will involve verifying camera traps, the study of maps, in-depth discussion with senior forest officials, volunteer participation plan, field survey, and target location selection.
During the week-long program, the officials of the division shall discuss various aspects of the camera trapping mission with various stakeholders including district administration, police, village, and education institutions heads and media in a detailed manner.
The camera trapping shall start from 7th February after the layout of the detailed plan.
