10-day-old leopard sighted at Yeoor

A 10-day-old male leopard cub was sighted by morning walkers along a road in the Yeoor range of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on Wednesday.

A 10-day-old male leopard cub was sighted by morning walkers along a road in the Yeoor range of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on Wednesday.

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After the forest officers learned about the incident, they started investigating it and discovered that the cub was separated from his mother and had taken shelter behind a rock near the road.

“The spot from where the cub was found is a regular leopard crossing zone. Locals frequently spot leopards in the area. A female cub would have been crossing the road with the cub in her mouth. She must have heard the movement of the locals and would have fled leaving the cub near the rock. There is also a possibility that she hid him behind the rock and went to fetch her prey,” said a forest officer who did not wished to be named.

The cub has not suffered any injuries but is weak, the officers said. They tried to feed him, but as he did not consume any food, they left him at the same spot near the rock on Wednesday night, so that he is spotted by the female leopard which left him there.

In the morning, the forest officers had taken the leopard to SGNP for a check-up. “Some morning walkers heard roars in the area. They spotted the cub taking shelter behind a rock around 10 to 20 metres from the road. They then alerted our officers posted at the Yeoor gate. When we reached the spot, we found that he could barely open his eyes or move. We picked him up with the help of a cloth and took him to SGNP for a physical examination,” Rajendra Pawar, range forest officer of Yeoor, said.

Dr Shailesh Pethe, senior veterinarian at SGNP, informed the forest officers that the cub is around 10 days old. “The cub is not injured but is weak, scared and fragile, owing to its age. We will try to reunite him with his mother.”