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Bengaluru: The Maharashtra government will send 50 leopards to Vantara, the Reliance-owned wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat, PTI reported on March 7. The reason cited is that this is an effort to reduce human-leopard conflict in some parts of Maharashtra.

Conservationists and activists have questioned the need for this transfer. But according to a social media post by Vantara on March 8, 20 of the 50 leopards may have already reached the rescue centre.

Vantara earlier claimed in a statement on March 7 that it had offered support after the state government requested it. It quoted a 2011 study from Maharashtra that said that translocating leopards from conflict areas back into the wild is not effective; and that it can actually increase human-leopard conflict.

However, this does not mean that leopards that are involved in human-leopard conflict have to be captured. In fact, capturing the animals and keeping them in captivity comes with numerous other concerns, the same study notes. Wildlife biologists also told The Wire that some leopards can indeed be captured – but only in very specific cases.

Several studies recommend implementing mitigation measures, including encouraging social acceptance of carnivores sharing the same space, to tackle human-leopard conflict.

50 leopards from Maharashtra to Vantara

The Maharashtra forest department made the decision to send 50 leopards to Vantara “to strengthen conservation efforts for the big cats while also addressing concerns related to increasing human-leopard interactions in parts of Maharashtra”, the PTI report, quoting unnamed sources close to state forest minister Ganesh Naik, said.

Human-leopard interactions (also called conflicts) stem from leopards and people using the same areas and can include leopards preying on livestock and dogs. In some instances, it can include leopards attacking people when sudden, unexpected encounters happen.

The decision to transfer 50 leopards to Vantara was allegedly finalised after discussions between state forest minister Ganesh Naik and the Vantara management, according to PTI. Unnamed sources also told PTI that more details about the timeline and modalities of transferring the leopards are expected to be finalised by the forest department in coordination with the facility’s management.

But it appears that the ‘modalities’ are finalised: on March 8, Vantara posted a video on social media in which Vantara employees are heard saying that 20 leopards from Junnar are arriving at the rescue center on the same day (March 8).

“For these animals it is more than just a relocation,” an unnamed Vantara employee says in the video. “We have prepared a spacious enriched home designed to support their recovery and well being.”

Their “new homes” have been filled with plantations like sugar cane to mimic their original environment in Junnar, he said.

‘Offered support on request of state government’

“Vantara has offered support to the Maharashtra Forest Department by providing long-term care for around 50 leopards captured from human-wildlife conflict areas, following a request from the state government,” Vantara’s statement on social media said.

The statement claimed that leopard populations have increased across India over the past few decades. And that as landscapes change and settlements expand, encounters between people and leopards are becoming more frequent.

“Mitigating this conflict has become one of the most complex challenges of recent times. Research has shown that relocating leopards from conflict areas back into forests is not effective. A landmark study by Athreya et al., 2011 found that reactive solutions to attacks on humans by leopards such as translocation, could in fact increase human-leopard conflict. Leopards captured during conflict often arrive severely traumatised and under stress after weeks and months spent in small holding cages. They require long-term care, psychological assessment and........

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