Maharashtra: Surge In Leopard-Human Conflict

As Maharashtra grapples with rising human–leopard conflict across 29 districts, public outrage and protests are mounting over repeated attacks and fatalities. A growing concern is the emergence of so-called “sugarcane leopards”—animals raised amid vast cane fields, cut off from natural forests, that have lost traditional hunting skills and now prey on dogs, livestock, and occasionally humans. In response, the state government has announced a ₹560-crore mitigation plan, including rescue centers, rapid response units, solar fencing, and proposals to reclassify leopards and declare conflict incidents as natural disasters. In this segment with Anish Andheria, President, Wildlife Conservation Trust, we examine whether these short-term, reactive measures can truly address the crisis—or if Maharashtra urgently needs sustainable, long-term solutions that balance human safety with wildlife conservation.