Maharashtra Launches India’s First Leopard Birth Control Programme

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has approved the Maharashtra government’s proposal for a leopard birth control programme. This makes Maharashtra the first state in India to initiate such an intervention.

Rising Human–Leopard Conflict

• Maharashtra has seen a sharp increase in human–leopard conflict for nearly a decade.
• The past five years have been especially severe with:
  • Frequent attacks in villages
  • Large-scale livestock losses
  • Increasing rescue and relocation operations
• Conflict has intensified particularly in sugarcane-rich regions, where leopards easily hide and move.

Pilot Project in Junnar

• The pilot will begin in Junnar, the state’s human–leopard conflict hotspot.
• The landscape, filled with sugarcane fields and dense human settlements, makes leopard capture extremely challenging.
• Pune district alone is estimated to host around 1,300 leopards.

How the Programme Works

• Five female leopards will be taken to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Pune district.
• They will undergo an immunocontraceptive procedure, a globally used wildlife population-control method.
• The procedure is:
  • Non-surgical and less invasive
  • Temporary, aimed at reducing fertility without harming the animal

First-of-its-Kind Initiative

• Maharashtra is the first Indian state to implement such a programme.
• Gujarat and West Bengal had explored similar ideas earlier, but they never materialised.

About the Leopard

• The leopard is the smallest big cat, highly adaptable to varied habitats.
• Melanism (black-coloured leopards) is common in this species.
• Behavioural traits:
  • Nocturnal hunter
  • Preys on chital, hog deer, wild boar, and other small herbivores
  • Extremely agile; rests mostly on tree branches
  • Often drags prey up trees, especially in areas shared with tigers
• Reproduction:
  • Breeds throughout the year
  • Gestation: 90–105 days
  • Litter size: 2–3 cubs

Source: HT