Forest dept reunites 25-day-old leopard cub with mother after rescue op

PUNE The Wildlife SOS and forest department reunited a 25-day-old leopard cub with its mother, in a rescue operation on Monday

PUNE The Wildlife SOS and forest department reunited a 25-day-old leopard cub with its mother, in a rescue operation on Monday. The cub was found last week stranded in a sugarcane field in Vadgaon Anand village, located in the Junnar division of Pune district.

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The farmers in Vadgaon Anand village were out harvesting their sugarcane crops, when they heard mewling sounds coming from the field. On taking a closer look, they were stunned to find a baby leopard. As they are trained in preliminary rescue protocols, as human-leopard interaction is very high in this area, the farmers immediately alerted members of the village rescue team, trained by the Maharashtra Forest Department and Wildlife SOS.

Soon after, two rescue units from Wildlife SOS and the forest department rushed to the location with the necessary equipment and medical kit to examine the cub. The on-site examination of leopard cubs is conducted to ascertain age and whether or not they are wounded or suffering from any infection or showing signs of dehydration.

The cub was identified as a female, estimated to be about 25-days-old. On being deemed healthy and fit for release by Wildlife SOS wildlife veterinary officer, Dr Nikhil Bangar, the cub was placed in a safe-box .

“We installed camera traps to document the happy reunion. The mother leopard slowly approached the field around midnight, after being drawn by her cub’s distinct scent and vocalisation. She was quick to tip the safe-box over and carefully picked up the cub to relocate to a safer location,” said Dr Bangar.

Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, “Leopard cubs stay with their mothers until they are two-years old, learning the necessary skills of survival, all the while exploring their natural habitat and honing their senses. For this young cub, the separation from its mother could have easily meant death or a life in captivity. To avoid situations like that, we undertake every effort to make such rescue and reunion operations possible and successful.”

Yogesh Ghodake, range forest officer, Otur, said, “Such incidents are quite common for villagers residing near the scrub forests of Maharashtra, which is the natural habitat of a large population of leopards.”