Mumbai: The sudden spurt in leopard attacks and increased instances of leopard spotting around Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) are primarily due to the high density of human population and concentration of small prey on the periphery, a year-long study has revealed.

The study, “Mumbaikars for SGNP”, was conducted by the forest department and the Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore and found that there are at least 21 leopards in the national park.