India, Nov. 30 -- Confirming the presence of leopards in the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS), camera traps of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, secured at least four images of the big cat. Overall, an estimated 10,000 images were acquired utilising 36 camera traps during the eight-day Rapid Assessment of Biodiversity (wildlife survey) of UT Chandigarh. Across the prominent taxa of birds and mammals, the assessment registered an increase from 67 and 11 to 117 and 14 species respectively with reference to the last wildlife survey of 2021. Sambars, the principal ungulate prey of leopards, were encountered in healthy numbers. At least two leopards are dwelling in the SWS, according to a WII preliminary assessment. The WII expects more leopard images to surface from the camera traps, which were deployed in tactical locations in the SWS and spanned a total of 125 trap nights. All the 10,000 images are yet to be checked. The voluminous data gathered from the field will be analysed and assessed over the ensuing months and it holds out the promise of further revelations of Chandigarh's natural heritage. The preliminary figures for species were presented before the chief wildlife warden Saurabh Kumar, conservator of forests, Anoop K Soni, and deputy conservator of forests, Navneet K Srivastava, by the WII's principal project associate, Dr Vivek Ranjan, and his team members (nine young scientists) during the closing ceremony of the assessment at Paryavaran Bhawan on Friday. The final report from the WII is expected around February 2026, which will also incorporate the Chandigarh segment of the Asian Waterbird Census scheduled for the 2025-2026 winter. "We have asked the WII to put up a proposal for seasonal surveys with respect to different taxa (such as snakes and frogs) and we are confident that the species count will rise. Encouraged by the preliminary results, the department plans to purchase 20-25 camera traps for permanent deployment in the SWS. We will get the staff trained for their use from the WII. The WII's final report will provide us with not only a qualitative and quantitative assessment of species but also reveal what exactly does the biodiversity of Chandigarh nurture and hitherto unknown to us," Kumar told this writer. The assessment was organised by the forests and wildlife department in collaboration with WII. Eight teams of civil society members supported the survey of mammals, birds, nocturnal assessment of herpetofauna, butterflies and vegetation. Kumar distributed WII's certificates of participation to the civil society members carrying the inscription: "supported scientific research and management...and significantly contributed to wildlife conservation." The participation of civil society members in such numbers in an official wildlife survey is rarely witnessed in similar exercises staged in other states. WII scientists red-flagged the menace of the invasive species, Red-eared slider turtles, which were encountered in the Sukhna and Dhanas lakes. These turtles, native to the Central and Eastern US, have found their way into Indian wetlands via the pet trade, and are known to suppress native turtle species and dominate habitats. Other mammalian species captured in camera traps included the Small Indian and Asian Palm (Common) civets and the Black-naped hare. Seventy butterfly species (including four Schedule II species) and nine of herpetofauna (seven reptilian and two amphibian) were enumerated along with 40 tree species and four major shrub species. Invasive and non-local species of flora were noted by the WII team. Using hi-tech Garmin GPS handhelds with enhanced features such cameras and touch screens, mobile applications for mapping locations for camera traps, ultra-sensitive audio recorders and camera traps, the assessment undertook 19 line transects over 38 km, 81 point counts, 50 nested quadrats for vegetation and 36 time-bound surveys for butterflies among other survey methods....