Rajasthan forest department will soon start a pilot project for protecting leopard and its habitats in three wildlife sanctuaries. This will be the first of its kind initiative in India.

The pilot project will be launched in 3 sanctuaries at an estimated cost of Rs 21 Crores. Thee three sanctuaries have been identified as Jaisamand sanctuary, Kumbalgarh sanctuary-Raoli Todgarh sanctuary and Jhalana Aamagarh Conservation Reserve in Jaipur.

Readers may note that CM Raje had allocated Rs 7 Crore in 2017-18 budget for Project Leopard. The balance Rs 14 Crore will be taken from Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) fund.

The project will try to conserve the endangered animal by controlling poaching, mitigating conflict with humans and increasing its prey base.

There were 434 leopards in Rajasthan as per wildlife census done in 2015.

The Project Leopard is being launched along the same lines as Project Tiger that was launched in 1973.