Have to ensure animals live in safe habitats: PM Modi on rise in leopard population

New Delhi, Dec 22: Lauding the increase in leopard population in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that these efforts have to be kept up to ensure our animals live in safe habitats.

He was reacting to Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar''s tweet about the report, Status of Leopards in India 2018, which said that India now has 12,852 leopards, a more than 60 per cent increase in their population in four years since the previous estimate was conducted in 2014.

The prime minister said in a tweet, "Great news! After lions and tigers, the leopard population increases. Congratulations to all those who are working towards animal conservation. We have to keep up these efforts and ensure our animals live in safe habitats."

Releasing the report on Monday, Javadekar said the rise in leopard population following similar reports on tigers and lions shows that the country is protecting its ecology and biodiversity well.