Research overview: resident attitudes and risk perception toward Mumbai's leopards

This overview examines social-science research on how Mumbai residents living near Sanjay Gandhi National Park perceive and respond to leopards. It synthesises studies of fear, tolerance, media framing, rumour, and the role of awareness campaigns in shaping reactions to leopard sightings and attacks. The literature explores how panic-driven crowds and aggressive capture demands can escalate risk, while community outreach, accurate information, and rapid-response protocols reduce dangerous encounters. It also considers cultural and religious attitudes that foster acceptance of leopards as part of the urban landscape. The survey highlights that managing human behaviour and perception is as central to coexistence as managing the cats themselves.