In Odisha, 696 leopards have been found in different forest areas as per the first-ever state-sponsored leopard census released today. About 200 leopards are located in the Similipal Tiger Reserve and surrounding areas, which is the highest in the state. The Satkosia landscape turned out to be another promising site for these animals, boasting the second-highest leopard population in the state at 150. During the census, 70 to 80 wild leopards were found in the Hirakud, Redhakhol and Sambalpur areas in Sambalpur district, followed by 40 in the Sunabeda and Khariar forests in Nuapada district. Forty-five per cent of the leopard population in Odisha is located outside the protected area network. The exercise was conducted in 47 forest divisions of the Forest Department of Odisha to identify leopard presence through various signs, including pugmarks, scrapes, scats, rakes, urine spray, vocalisations and livestock depredation. Sites with confirmed direct or indirect evidence of leopards were monitored using camera traps.