At least four leopards are poached every week in India, according to a new study by a group of conservationists.
The report by Traffic documented 420 seizures of leopard skins, bones and body parts between 2001 and 2010, said the BBC.
It says the northern state of Uttarakhand is the biggest source for leopard parts, while Delhi is the hub of illegal trade.
Leopards are a protected species in India and all international commercial trade in their body parts is banned.
Wildlife experts say there are no reliable population estimates of these big cats in India, but according to rough estimates, there are about 10,000 leopards in the country.
The report – Illuminating the Blind Spot: A study on illegal trade in Leopard parts in India estimates that around 2,294 leopards have been trafficked in India during the 10-year span.
The study says that most of the leopard parts are smuggled to Asian countries like China, Burma and Laos through India’s porous border with Nepal.
