NEW DELHI: India’s leopard population is at risk of being decimated as a result of rampant poaching fuelled by a thriving black market for its skins, a study by animal conservationists said on Friday.

The report by a network of wildlife groups known as TRAFFIC said at least four leopards have been killed every week by poachers in India in the last decade, and their plight mirrored that of the tiger, which is now an endangered species. WWF, one of the groups behind TRAFFIC, said it was vital for India’s government to come up with an effective strategy to combat the trade in leopard skins. The report estimated that since 2001 more than 2,000 leopards have been poached in India before their remains were then sold on.—AFP