9 November 2025
Experts in Nagpur have warned that trapping or sterilizing leopards will not solve Maharashtra’s rising leopard–human conflict and urged the Forest Department to adopt a long-term, research-led policy to reduce future numbers responsibly. They stressed the need for scientific studies and a clear policy framework to guide population management rather than ad‑hoc capture drives.
Over the past two decades, the expansion of sugarcane cultivation has created conducive conditions for leopards to breed successfully in cane fields, with three to four generations now born in these landscapes, reshaping habitat use and behavior. Cubs increasingly perceive cane fields as safe habitat, while adaptable adults have broadened their diet to include frogs, rats, mice, and crabs, reinforcing their presence in agricultural mosaics. After Junnar, Satara district—particularly Karad and Patan talukas—now hosts notably high leopard numbers within Maharashtra, reflecting this ecological shift.
Historical conflict patterns underscore the stakes: in 2001–02, the Junnar division recorded around 11 fatalities and 25 injuries from leopard attacks, prompting authorities to capture 108 leopards. Some were confined at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre and Sanjay Gandhi National Park, while 16 were released into Chandoli sanctuary as part of conflict mitigation efforts. Microchips attached to the animals’ tails later indicated that some translocated leopards navigated back to Junnar, highlighting limits of relocation as a durable solution.
Policy friction is growing around a departmental proposal to capture 1,500 leopards from western Maharashtra and send them to ‘Vantara,’ which has been submitted to the Central Zoo Authority as a conflict-response option. Since leopards are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, capture without specific cause is prohibited, with permissions restricted to conflict scenarios and granted by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, raising questions about the feasibility of mass capture. A sterilization proposal has also been sent to the Union government, but implementing either mass capture or sterilization at scale would require amendments to wildlife law, authorities and experts noted.
Experts argue that radio-collaring “is of little use” on its own and advocate for rigorous research to curb population growth through science-based management tied to local carrying capacity. They recommend assessing each district’s leopard carrying capacity and deploying artificial intelligence–based alert systems that trigger alarms when leopards approach villages or homes, improving community safety without resorting to indiscriminate capture. “Scientific study and research are necessary to restrain the growing numbers,” emphasized Rohan Bhate, an honorary wildlife warden from Satara, while calling for practical tech-enabled early warning and policy clarity.
