Maharashtra's Forest Department is launching a pilot leopard birth control program in Junnar, a region experiencing significant human-wildlife conflict. The initiative, approved by the Centre, will involve administering a contraceptive drug to select female leopards aged three to five. The drug must be sourced internationally, posing logistical challenges. This marks India's first non-lethal population control effort for wild leopards, aimed at mitigating conflict following recent fatalities in western Maharashtra.