Maharashtra forest department gives contraceptive vaccine to two female leopards in Junnar

Officials administers an immune-contraceptive vaccine to a female leopard as part of a pilot study. PICS/PUNE FOREST DEPARTMENT

The Junnar Forest Division has administered an immune-contraceptive vaccine to two female leopards as part of a pilot study. The two leopards were released back into the wild after being administered the vaccine. The study has received approval from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, said Conservator of Forest Ashish Thakare. The study is to assess whether birth control can help manage leopard populations in areas with frequent human-wildlife interactions.

The project involves the Junnar Forest Division, the Indian Council of Medical Research's National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (ICMR-NIRRCH) and veterinary experts from Team RESQ. According to forest department officials, ICMR researchers will analyse blood samples to monitor hormonal changes and assess the vaccine's effects over time.

The forest department's frontline staff are carrying out the field operations, with veterinary support from Team RESQ. The department is also monitoring the animals.

Wildlife conservationist Kedar Gore of the Corbett Foundation said, "This is a much-needed intervention by Maharashtra Forest Department in managing wild leopard populations humanely is highly appreciated. Though the effect of immune-contraception vaccines is temporary (2-3 years), it is still a first-of-its-kind project on leopards that will provide valuable information on the success and scalability across other landscapes."

Adv Pawan Sharma, founder and president of Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare, said, "Scientific interventions are the need of the hour in today's time especially in landscapes outside Protected Areas. Such pilot projects will help in understanding a lot more about such animals. It will be interesting to know about the behaviour, territoriality, aggression, and hunting patterns of the individual animals."

The officers behind the project

The project is overseen by senior forest officials, including Maharashtra Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) M Shrinivas Reddy, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife-West) Ravikiran Govekar, Chief Conservator of Forests, Pune, Ashish Thakare, and Chief Conservator of Forests, Mumbai, Jitendra Ramgaonkar. Dr Shantibhushan Jha is also associated with the project.