Mumbai: The Maharashtra Government has announced the translocation of 25 leopards to the Vantara facility, owned by Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani, in Gujarat’s Jamnagar. Speaking in the legislative council on Monday, Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik stated that the state had requested the Reliance Foundation to accommodate the animals to manage a reported surge in the big cat population.

According to government figures presented by the Minister, the leopard population in Maharashtra has quadrupled over the last decade. Naik further claimed that the state's tiger population has also grown from 101 approximately eight years ago to 444 today.

Details of the translocation agreement

The Minister informed the council that the state government has signed an agreement to translocate a total of 50 leopards to the Vantara facility. He stated that the demand to move the animals was made because, according to government records, 150 leopards were trapped in the Pune district alone. In addition to the relocation, Naik announced that the Forest Department intends to establish leopard and tiger safaris in every district across the state.

Legislative amendments to wildlife management

The announcement coincided with the council’s clearance of an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act as applied to Maharashtra. The Bill, which was passed by the Assembly last week, seeks to streamline the process for managing human-leopard conflicts.

Minister Naik argued that the previous requirement for Union government permission under Section 12 for population management or translocation was a "highly regulated, cumbersome process”. He claimed that this federal oversight "delays effective scientific management and translocation of leopards”, as well as efforts to address conflict within the state.

Shift in administrative authority

The new amendment enables the chief wildlife warden to take steps for the scientific management and translocation of leopards with the permission of the state government, bypassing the need for central intervention. Addressing concerns regarding the implications of the Bill, Naik asserted that the amendment does not permit the culling of animals, stating that no permission will be given to anyone to kill leopards.

PTI