Skip to content

High densities of leopards and striped hyenas in Jaipur’s urban reserve

Wild leopard on a tree in Jhalana Forest near Jaipur
Research: Ecology · Conservation: Population & status

Jhalana-Amagarh Conservation Reserve lies within the Indian city of Jaipur. From May to July 2025, researchers used 30 pairs of camera traps to estimate the density of leopards (Panthera pardus) and striped hyenas (Hyaena hyaena), and to examine where and when the two carnivores were active.

The estimated densities were 7.0 leopards and 4.1 striped hyenas per 10 km². The researchers describe these as exceptionally high densities for an urban protected area. Both species were mostly active at night, and their activity times overlapped substantially. The estimated activity centres—central locations of individual animals’ activity areas—were close to one another and often near the reserve’s edges.

The findings show that a protected area within a major city can hold high densities of these two large carnivores. But the estimates describe this reserve during a three-month survey; they do not reveal whether densities are changing over time or whether the same pattern occurs in other urban reserves. The researchers call for long-term monitoring and further study of what shapes interactions between the species.

Sources and image credit

  1. Carnivores in a metropolitan forest island: first spatial capture-recapture estimates reveal high densities of leopards and striped hyenas in Jaipur, IndiaPrimary preprint. The abstract reports the study area and dates, camera-trap setup, density estimates, activity patterns, and authors’ interpretation. Full text was not accessible for verification.
  2. Jhalana-Amagarh Conservation ReserveOfficial information about the protected area.

Image: Rohit Gangwal / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wild leopard in Jhalana Forest, Jaipur; representative image. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Ecology

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Leopard Panthera pardus Explore species

Independent research and conservation news archive

Did you find this information useful?

Wildlife Vagabond is independently built and maintained. Voluntary support helps cover source verification, hosting and continued work on research and conservation news.

Support Wildlife Vagabond

The news archive will remain freely available.