Mumbai: Surrounded by a concrete jungle, the city’s green lungs, Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Aarey Colony, continue to have a thriving wildlife ecosystem as a govt survey last year found 54 leopards here, up from 47 in 2018, reports Vijay Singh.
This includes 3 female leopards that were caught on camera in 2015, demonstrating over 9 years of survival in SGNP. SGNP director and conservator of forests Anita Patil said the leopard count “speaks volumes about nature’s resilience” and stressed the “importance of conserving the green spaces they (leopards) depend on”.

The survey carried out using 90 camera traps during Feb-June 2024 by the state forest department and Wildlife Conservation Society-India also found 3 leopards (all male) in Tungareshwar wildlife sancturary. One of them travelled around 9km across dense human settlements, major highways, and railway lines as it was caught on camera at Vasai Fort.
With a state govt survey finding 54 leopards in SGNP and Aarey Colony, environmentalists and wildlife activists reiterated the need to save Aarey Colony as a forest. “It is amazing how the forest and its biodiversity survived despite encroachments along the periphery. Aarey Colony is a part of the forest and so no more development should be allowed here,” said NatConnect Foundation head B N Kumar. The leopard count was done using camera traps at 90 sites (57 in SGNP-Aarey, and 33 at Tungareshwar). Forest department staff were closely involved throughout.
Among the 54 leopards at SGNP and Aarey, 36 are female, 16 males and 2 were undetermined. Camera traps also recorded chital, sambar, jungle cats, and palm civets and rare finds like mouse deer and rusty spotted cats.
SGNP director and conservator of forests Anita Patil, said: “Scientific monitoring exercises like this are vital for understanding the status of our wildlife and planning informed conservation actions.”
Honorary wildlife warden and head of Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare, Pawan Sharma, said: “The leopards are thriving here with minimal human-animal conflicts due to various awareness programs undertaken by NGOs in association with the forest staff.”
The Save Aarey Forest activist, Tabrez Sayed, commented: “Illegal tree cuttings are still taking place at Aarey. A road contractor recently cut a big tree for which I had already urged BMC not to harm the tree. If such illegalities continue then the entire green Aarey Colony will be destroyed, and so will the leopards here.” D Stalin of Vanashakti NGO said: “Govt must take a decision not to allow any more development at Aarey, after the recent Mumbai Metro work. There should be a blanket ban on encroachments and tree felling.”