Pune: Four leopard cubs reunited with mother

Wildlife authorities at Narayangaon range in Junnar in Pune district reunited four leopard cubs that had separated from their mother early on Monday morning, after treating them at a local rescue centre.

Wildlife authorities at Narayangaon range in Junnar in Pune district reunited four leopard cubs that had separated from their mother early on Monday morning, after treating them at a local rescue centre.

According to officials from the forest department, locals rescued the four cubs on Sunday morning from a sugarcane field that had caught fire.

“Three of the four cubs had minor burns on their body and were rushed to Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre, 150 km from Mumbai,” said SN Bansode, range forest officer, Narayangaon range.

Dr Ajay Deshmukh, veterinarian, Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre, said, “The cubs were two months old. We treated their burns and performed de-worming operations.”

Around 3am on Monday, the mother of the four cubs returned to the same spot to search for the cubs. Forest officials, who had set up camera traps, released the cubs.

Deshmukh said close to 15 cubs have been reunited with their mothers under similar circumstances in the same location over the past year.