Leopard cub reunited with mother at Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park

A three-to-four-month female leopard cub was reunited with its mother at the Tulsi range of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on Monday, in one of the first leopard

A three-to-four-month female leopard cub was reunited with its mother at the Tulsi range of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on Monday, in one of the first leopard cub rescue and reunion operations at SGNP, the forest department said.

A three-to-four-month female leopard cub was reunited with its mother at the Tulsi range of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on Monday, in one of the first leopard cub rescue and reunion operations at SGNP, the forest department said. (SGNP)

This was also the second time an abandoned leopard cub was found inside SGNP after a male cub was found in critical condition in the Yeoor range in December 2019.

In the latest incident, the cub was located early Monday morning near Kalamabacha Fonda, a small hamlet near Akurli Malad in the Tulsi range by local residents.

“After the residents informed the forest department, the cub was moved to a secure location by the rapid response team, citing safety of hamlet residents,” said G Mallikarjuna, director and conservator of forest, SGNP.

A medical examination was conducted and the cub was kept under observation, Mallikarjuna said, adding that the cub was then taken to a secure location close to the spot where she was found. “The cub was reunited with its mother at 9pm on Monday, making it one of the first such rescue and reunion operations at SGNP,” said Mallikarjuna, adding that the cub was kept in a basket. “We had left the lid open from one end. On hearing the mother’s call, the cub got out of the basket and walked deeper into the forest towards her mother. We will monitor the area to ensure that the cub is not abandoned again and to see if there is any other movement,” he said.

According to veterinarians, reunions, which are common at landscapes such as Junnar in Pune, play a significant role in avoiding human-animal conflict as leopards unable to locate their cubs may turn hostile or aggressive on seeing humans in close proximity to that area. “The effort by staff from Tulsi range, SGNP’s rapid response team, biologist Nikit Surve and wildlife warden Mayur Kamath ensured the safe reunion of this cub in the least possible time with minimum disturbance, which also increases a sense of security for local residents,” said Mallikarjuna.

“As this is the second instance of a leopard cub being identified in SGNP and probably the first reunion, it highlights the importance of positive human intervention. In some cases, if the reunion is not successful, the cub spends its life in captivity. However, Monday’s incident was encouraging from the point of view of wildlife conservation,” said Surve.