Uttar Pradesh is taking significant steps to address the escalating human-animal conflict involving large carnivores such as leopards and tigers, by setting up four modern rescue centres in Meerut, Pilibhit, Maharajganj, and Chitrakoot. These centres aim to provide safe housing for the frequent captures of these wild animals, while simultaneously easing public fears and ensuring community safety. This initiative comes in response to a growing crisis in several parts of the state, particularly in areas like Bijnor district, where encounters between humans and big cats have increased dramatically in recent years.
Bijnor district, located along the border with Uttarakhand’s renowned tiger forests, has become a notable hotspot for human-leopard conflict. The district’s vast sugarcane fields provide an ideal habitat for these carnivores, resembling the dense grasslands where leopards traditionally thrive. Since 2023 alone, more than 30 people have died from leopard attacks in the area, while over 100 leopards have been captured by forest officials. The district’s sugarcane fields, which grow stalks over four feet tall and are harvested every two years, create cover and hunting grounds for leopards, allowing them to move stealthily and come into frequent contact with humans.
Historically, Bijnor’s sugarcane fields have always been home to wild cats, but the surge in conflicts is a relatively recent phenomenon. The first signs of trouble appeared in 2019, with 15 recorded attacks on humans, five of which were fatal. By 2023, the number of attacks had more than doubled to 35, with 19 human deaths, signaling a deepening crisis. Geographically, the problem has expanded as well; the number of villages affected by leopard conflicts in Bijnor has grown from 72 in the period 2015-2019, to 155 between 2020 and 2022, and has now surpassed 320 villages since 2023. This spread underscores the growing challenge of managing coexistence between people and wildlife in the region.
The rise in conflict in Bijnor is linked to several broader ecological and socio-economic factors. One significant contributor is the expansion of sugarcane cultivation, which has increased substantially over the past decade. Since a hike in the state advisory price (SAP) for sugarcane in 2016, the acreage devoted to sugarcane farming in Bijnor has grown from approximately 205,000 hectares to 258,000 hectares, a 26% increase in less than ten years. This expansion has created a wider habitat for leopards, drawing them deeper into human-dominated landscapes.
Another key factor is the movement of leopards from the neighboring Corbett Tiger Reserve area in Uttarakhand. In 2013, after years of policy inertia, the Uttarakhand government began relocating Gujjar herders from the Kalagarh division of Corbett to reduce human-wildlife conflict and protect tiger habitats. This relocation led to a 54% increase in tiger populations in the area over four years, from 71 tigers in 2013 to 109 in 2017. However, as tiger numbers surged, leopards, which tend to avoid competition with tigers, were pushed out of their traditional forest ranges and moved southward into the plains of Uttar Pradesh, including Bijnor. This shift has contributed to the rising conflicts as leopards adapted to the sugarcane fields and encountered human settlements more frequently.
Supporting this view, research from Aligarh Muslim University highlights that as leopards moved into new areas along Bijnor’s northern boundary, the number of conflict-affected villages escalated. Unlike traditional forest dwellers who have long coexisted with wildlife, many villagers in these newly affected areas lack the knowledge and practices needed to live safely alongside big cats.
Experts emphasize that traditional farming wisdom plays a critical role in minimizing conflict. Sanjay Kumar Pathak, former chief conservator of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh, notes that farmers familiar with living alongside leopards tend to respect the animals’ presence, avoid risky behaviors such as working in fields at dawn or dusk, and know how to deter attacks. In contrast, newcomers or younger farmers often lack this patience and caution, increasing their vulnerability. As farmers seek to maximize land use by bringing sugarcane cultivation closer to their homes, the risk of