India, Oct. 18 -- Two female leopards were released into the wild in the first week of October after being administered an immunocontraceptive drug under a pilot study by the Junnar Forest Division. The animals will be monitored to assess the safety and effectiveness of immunocontraception as a potential tool for managing leopard populations in high-density areas.

Approved by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the project aims to explore scientific approaches to wildlife population management and mitigate human-leopard conflict in areas such as Junnar, where leopards come into contact with human settlements.

The forest division first proposed the birth control...