Leopards living inside sugarcane fields in Maharashtra's Junnar region have adapted to human presence so deeply that traditional wildlife management practices are no longer working, according to forest officials. These leopards, locally called "Sugar babies", are not returning to forests even after relocation. Officials now warn that western Maharashtra's fields hold nearly 70% of the area's leopard population, increasing the risk of human-animal conflict during the sugar-crushing season, a TOI report stated.
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The region is seeing a generation of leopards that has grown up entirely in farming landscapes, not forests. Their behaviour, movement and survival patterns differ from forest-born leopards, forcing wildlife managers to rethink long-used strategies for preventing conflict.
Forest teams say these leopards have never lived in forest landscapes. They learn survival skills in an environment filled with tractors, irrigation pumps and people.
"Sugarcane leopards are here to stay," said a Wildlife Institute of India expert. Officials say these animals see human presence as normal and not a threat.
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Attempts to capture and release the leopards into nearby forest patches have not worked.
"The current generation in Junnar is completely fieldborn," said deputy conservator of forests Prashant Khade. "Their survival strategies fit this environment. Releasing them into forests is a waste of time and resources. Their mental map, feeding habits and territorial understanding revolve around cane fields, not forests."
Some leopards have returned to their original territories within days after being moved out.
Villagers earlier used firecrackers or metal tins to scare the animals. Officials say these methods are ineffective because the leopards have grown up hearing these sounds during festivals and farm work.
When one leopard leaves or dies, neighbouring packs quickly sense the empty space and expand into it, said assistant conservator of forests Smita Rajhans.
With most of the region's leopard population now living in agricultural zones, officials expect more encounters in the coming three to four months as harvesting and crushing activity increases across sugarcane fields.
Dozens of leopards in western Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are now classified as "unfit" for forest release after spending years inside sugarcane farmland. Forest teams say these animals have become heavier, slower and unusually comfortable around people. Officials note that this long-term behavioural change has increased the risk of attacks and forced them to shift such leopards to zoos instead of sending them back into forests, according to the TOI report.
Across areas from Bijnor to Haridwar, sugarcane fields have gradually turned into consistent leopard shelters. Their habits have changed as they continue to live in agricultural zones. A growing tiger population inside nearby reserves has pushed leopards outward, while the dense cane fields offer easy hiding spaces and quick access to food. As a result, many of these leopards struggle to readapt to forest conditions.
In Bijnor alone, 40 out of 92 leopards captured in the past four years were not released back into the wild. Uttarakhand has recorded 96 rescues since 2021. Even when officers drop them deep inside Rajaji Tiger Reserve, radio-collar tracking shows that several leopards walk over 30 km to return to the cane belt.
Field teams increasingly find pugmarks moving from forest fringes straight into the sugarcane stretch. Officers say a number of these animals now appear rounder, show duller claws and display weaker hunting responses -- traits of predators that have adapted to a landscape where food and cover come easily and do not demand the survival skills required inside forests.