India, Dec. 20 -- A surge in human-leopard conflict, marked by several fatal attacks, has led the Maharashtra forest department to intensify leopard capture operations across high-risk districts, including Pune, Ahilyanagar and Nashik. But the sweeping drive has triggered a new crisis: an unprecedented number of leopards in captivity, overwhelming an already stretched system.

In just the past two months, more than 150 leopards have been captured in the three districts. Forest officials acknowledge that while the action was driven by public outrage after human deaths, the department now faces severe constraints in housing and managing the animals in line with wildlife regulations.

Several officials said the escalating conflict has placed...