In India, leopard conservation is often clubbed with tigers because many leopards are in tiger reserves. But, no reliable count is available. Conservationists believe this has affected their systematic protection. According to data released by the ministry of environment and forests in 2008, India has more than 11,000 leopards. But numbers are falling on account of poaching and conflict with humans. "Leopards are a soft target for poachers," says Brig (retd) Ranjit Talwar, formerly with World Wildlife Fund India. "It is easier to shoot a leopard since it is a smaller animal compared to the tiger." Leopards' natural traits—a high level of adaptability and the ability to live in wideranging habitats—also put them in danger because they often venture into human settlements in search of prey. In the most recent episode (on March 23) irate people in Dhamdhar village in the Corbett tiger reserve burnt a leopard alive. The unfortunate animal had been captured by forest officials. The Delhi NGO, Wildlife Protection Society of India, estimates 148 leopard deaths last year. This year's toll is already 66 and we are just three months into 2011. How many more will it take before the spotted cat is better protected?

Asian elephant

India has almost 25,000-27 ,000 elephants. As far as numbers go, this may seem sufficient. But, one of the biggest threats facing the elephant in India is gradual loss of habitat. Historically, elephants were found in many areas across the country, but they are now confined to about 110,000 sq km of fragmented forests. "Many of these isolated elephant habitats are further threatened by fragmentation due to developmental activities," says Sandeep Kumar Tiwari of the Noida-based Wildlife Trust of India. Obstruction of their natural migratory path has resulted in many more cases of conflict with humans. Raman Sukumar of the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science, has researched elephants for three decades. He says that "if we can protect the elephant's habitat from further degradation, both humans and elephants can co-exist harmoniously. " A crucial factor for elephants to survive is the establishment of corridors to connect their habitats. To some extent, this has been facilitated by the government's Project Elephant. But experts say more needs to be done, especially improving existing corridors. Else, the elephant might well go the way of the tiger or the cheetah in a few decades.

Asiatic black bear

The commercial trade in bear parts—especially the gall bladder, which is used in traditional Chinese medicineposes a major threat to the Asiatic black bear. Besides poaching, there is loss of habitat and increased confrontation with man. Only a small portion of the bear population in the country is within protected areas. Since bears move to different habitats and elevations depending on the season, they come into conflict with humans. S Sathyakumar, head of the department of endangered species at the Wildlife Institute of India, says that "bears become increasingly territorial during their breeding season in summer and tend to attack whatever resources are available." Cases of mauling also tend to increase, making human-bear conflict common, especially in mountainous regions. Most of the bears found in India are spread across the hill states of Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and the North East. A comprehensive count of Asiatic black bears in India is not available but estimates put their number at anywhere between 6,000 and 7,000. However, their numbers could fall if poaching continues and the habitat shrinks further.

Greater one-horned rhinoceros

Urgent conservation efforts have ensured that the onehorned rhinoceros has improved its position somewhat. It has gone from the "endangered" to the "vulnerable" category in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. But conservationists remain worried. The number of rhinos remains low in India. Guwahati-based naturalist B K Talukdar says that "the current estimates are between 2750-2850 rhinos, of which about 2350-2400 are in India while about 400-450 are in Nepal." Most of India's rhinos are in Assam's Kaziranga National Park.