UP Plans First Leopard Safari in Pilibhit to Address Human-Wildlife Conflict
The Uttar Pradesh Forest Department is moving ahead with a proposal to establish the state’s first dedicated leopard safari in the Pilibhit and Shahjahanpur districts. The project is being planned primarily to provide rescued leopards with a secure, natural habitat while helping address the increasing instances of human-leopard conflict across the state.
The proposed safari will be developed in the Gopalpur forest range, covering forest land in both Pilibhit and neighbouring Shahjahanpur. Earlier plans indicated an area of around 1,974 hectares, comprising approximately 944.6 hectares in Pilibhit and 1,030.1 hectares in Shahjahanpur. Another assessment by the forest department has identified suitable social forestry areas in the Deoria range of Pilibhit and Khutar range of Shahjahanpur, with the proposed facility expected to cover around 1,700 hectares and include a safari route of nearly 30 kilometres.
The project has received an initial financial allocation of Rs 1 crore from the Uttar Pradesh government. The overall development cost is estimated at around Rs 49 crore, with an earlier project proposal putting the required grant at Rs 49.45 crore.
Officials said the project is currently awaiting approval from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), whose clearance is mandatory for establishing a facility where leopards will be kept under prescribed protocols. The state government has already cleared the proposal and forwarded it to the CZA in New Delhi.
According to forest officials, the proposed safari is being considered in response to the growing pressure on leopard habitats and increasing encounters between the animals and people. Officials have also linked the movement of leopards towards villages and inhabited areas to changes in the distribution of large carnivores, including the increasing tiger population around the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve.
PP Singh, Chief Conservator of Forests, Rohilkhand zone, said the growing tiger population was contributing to pressure on available habitat and encouraging leopards to move towards forest edges and human settlements. He also stressed that leopards cannot simply be confined to a small area and require sufficient natural territory suited to their behaviour.
Under the proposed plan, leopards would be allowed to move freely within a managed forest habitat, while visitors would travel along a designated safari route in secure vehicles. The facility is expected to have an entry gate, visitor infrastructure, a theatre and leopard-proof fencing designed to separate animals from tourists while allowing them to remain within a natural-looking environment.
The forest department also plans to increase tree and vegetation cover around the fencing to prevent leopards from escaping by climbing over it. Officials said most of the identified forest area would be conserved as habitat.
The proposed facility is expected to serve several purposes, including providing rescued leopards with suitable space, improving visitor awareness, supporting wildlife management and potentially generating tourism revenue. The department also plans to study existing leopard facilities in other parts of India and use their experience while developing the Pilibhit project.
At present, India has several facilities associated with leopard rescue and safari-based management, including the Leopard Sanctuary in Jaipur, Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar, South Khairbari Leopard Rescue Centre in West Bengal and Vantara in Gujarat. Officials said knowledge and management practices from such facilities would be considered for the proposed project in Uttar Pradesh.
Before finalising the project, forest authorities have also carried out field surveys in the identified areas. The survey recorded direct animal sightings along with tracks and other signs, including dung or pellets, nests, burrows, dens, vegetation and habitat characteristics.
The proposal comes against the backdrop of rising human-leopard conflict in several parts of Uttar Pradesh. According to forest department figures cited in reports, at least 200 leopards had been rescued across the state since January 2026 and released into the wild. Since 2023, the number of rescued leopards across Uttar Pradesh has been estimated at no fewer than 400.
Several districts have reported serious conflict incidents. Lakhimpur Kheri recorded eight deaths linked to human-leopard conflict since January 2026, including five minors. In Bahraich, 18 leopards were rescued from the Katarniya forest range, with 13 of those rescues taking place since July 21. The district also reported five deaths associated with human-leopard conflict.
Moradabad recorded four deaths in leopard attacks in August, while Bijnor also reported at least four fatal incidents. Since 2023, Bijnor has recorded at least 37 deaths linked to human-leopard conflict and around 120 leopard rescues, according to officials.
Uttar Pradesh recorded 371 leopards in the 2022 landscape-level assessment, including 29 in Pilibhit, 125 across Dudhwa National Park and Lakhimpur Kheri, and 67 in Ranipur Tiger Reserve. A senior forest official, however, said the exact statewide population remains uncertain because the census covered the broader landscape rather than providing a precise district-wise count.
The proposed Pilibhit leopard safari is therefore being presented as a long-term habitat-management initiative rather than only a tourism project. Further approvals, funding and ground-level development will determine how the identified forest areas, safari route, fencing and visitor facilities are ultimately established.
