India's first scientific trial on curbing leopard breeding through immunocontraception has started in the Junnar forest division of Pune district, Maharashtra, where two vaccinated female leopards were released into the wild. This non-lethal method uses a vaccine to block pregnancy for a time, without lasting harm to fertility. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) cleared the study under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The pilot will check whether the approach is safe and works in easing human–leopard conflict in leopard-dense areas. ICMR, Mumbai, will examine blood samples for hormonal shifts and long-term vaccine effects. From 2000 to 2025, leopard attacks claimed 56 lives in Junnar.