Leopard Cubs Found In Karad Reunited With Mother
Karad, 24th November 2022: The Karad Forest Department discovered three leopard cubs in Karad, Satara, during harvest. They were unfortunately separated from their mother. To have the best chance at a successful reunion, it had to be done at the earliest. Hence, a team left from Pune to Satara as soon as they received a call from RFO Navale (Karad Forest Department). After a meticulous set-up and nail-biting wait on the field all night, staring at live cameras, the team observed that the female leopard arrived, but only took one cub. She did not return for the other two.
Leopards are considered a species that may cause conflict. Unlike other wild orphans raised and reintroduced to the wild, orphan leopard cubs end up in lifetime captivity if not reunited with their mothers. For this reason, everyone felt the pressure to ensure a successful reunion for all. Dr Kalyani, Harshad Nagare and Shreenath Chavan from the RESQ team, with local forest staff, cared for the cubs during the day and resolved to try again next evening.
The mother returned for her other two cubs and took them one by one nine hours apart. “The wait was agonising for us, a mother can never be too careful, so we assume she took them to a faraway place she found safer and thus took so long to return!” Dr Kalyani said.
