Forest officers in Himachal Pradesh have confirmed that they will try to reunite the young leopard cub that was handed over to them on Saturday with its mother. Footage of the leopard cub travelling in a car had gone viral on social media over the weekend.
Manish Ram Pal, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Theog, told HT.com that the female leopard cub is approximately 20 days old. He confirmed that the cub is in his custody.
Leopard cub goes on a car ride
The cub found its way to the DFO of Theog thanks to the efforts of one Ankush Chauhan, who found it lost and shivering. When the cub’s mother did not return, Chauhan knew he had to act before wild dogs got a hold of it. “We realised it was no longer safe for him to stay there. It was time to act,” he was quoted as saying by The Tribune.
Chauhan, a resident of Kothkai, picked up the cub and put it in his car, contacting forest officers for advice on what to do next. He was told to drop the cub to the DFO.
{{/usCountry}}Chauhan, a resident of Kothkai, picked up the cub and put it in his car, contacting forest officers for advice on what to do next. He was told to drop the cub to the DFO.
{{/usCountry}}Footage shared on social media shows the leopard cub travelling in Chauhan’s car.
What DFO Theog says on the leopard cub
Manish Ram Pal told HT.com that the leopard cub is stressed but otherwise healthy. It was immediately placed under the care of a veterinarian to check its vitals and everything was found to be normal.
The DFO of Theog said that instead of immediately placing the cub in a zoo or a sanctuary, efforts will be made to reunite it with its mother. If, after three days, the efforts prove unsuccessful, forest officials will move her to a safer place.
“But our priority is to reunite it with its mother, not hand it over to a zoo,” Pal told HT.com.