Leopards are the most adaptable large cat, surviving in fragmented and even urban habitats, but this adaptability brings them into conflict with humans that frequently results in their death.
Leopard welfare in human-dominated landscapes involves a paradox: their adaptability allows them to survive where other large cats cannot, but this proximity to humans creates conflict that frequently leads to their death or severe injury through snaring. Snare injuries in leopards cause limb loss, gangrene, and prolonged suffering before rescue or death. Human-leopard conflict resolution programs that address livestock protection reduce the trigger for retaliatory killing. Urban leopard response protocols that allow safe capture and relocation prevent individual animals from being killed in panic situations.