Translocation as a conflict tool can backfire for leopards in human landscapes

Analyzing records of leopards captured and released far from capture sites across India, this study challenged translocation as a standard response to conflict. Translocated leopards frequently attempted long homing journeys, settled in unfamiliar inhabited areas, and were associated with a marked increase in attacks on people in some regions. The authors argued that moving animals disrupts established, conflict-avoiding individuals and seeds new conflict elsewhere, while doing little to address the underlying drivers. The work shifted Indian carnivore policy toward leaving non-problem animals in place and managing the shared landscape, principles directly relevant to how authorities handle leopards in and around Mumbai.