Pune: Emotional Reunion Of A 45-Day Leopard Cub With Mother
Khed, 6th July 2023: In a collaborative effort, Wildlife SOS and the Maharashtra Forest Department reunited a 45-day-old male leopard cub with its mother near Chas village in Pune district. The cub was provided necessary treatment by the Wildlife SOS veterinary team after the forest department officials safely rescued the cub.
Earlier this week, a leopard cub was discovered near an onion storage house in Chas village, located in Manchar Forest Range of Pune district. Accustomed to catching occasional glimpses of leopards around the area, the villagers immediately reported the incident to the forest department. Soon after the cub was rescued by the forest officials, it was brought to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar that is operated by Wildlife SOS.
After a thorough examination of the cub, it was discovered to be an extremely young male cub, approximately 1.5 months old.
Dr. Akhilesh Dhage, Veterinary Officer, Wildlife SOS said, “We observed that the cub was alert, but a little dehydrated. This was possibly due to the weather conditions as it’s monsoon and the rains brought the temperature down. We therefore provided the necessary hydration therapy to improve the cub’s health.”
Once deemed fit, the team arranged for the cub to be returned on the same evening to the location where it was found. Trap cameras were set up that captured the mother leopard slowly approaching the field in the dark hours. She gently picked up the cub by the scruff of his neck and retreated to a safer location.
Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS, said, “Since 2009, Wildlife SOS has partnered with the forest department in reuniting over 100 leopard cubs. This reunion is another example of that partnership and we were glad to assist the forest department in successfully completing this operation. The prompt response of the villagers in informing the authorities about these situations also shows the positive impact of the workshops and awareness programmes conducted by Wildlife SOS in the past.”
Smita Rajhans, Range Forest Officer, Manchar Forest Range said, “We received a call from the villagers stating the presence of a cub near an onion storage house. Seeing that the cub needed medical care, we took it to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre for treatment. Following all safety measures, our team then worked with Wildlife SOS to reunite the cub. We are glad that the mother safely took the young leopard away and the reunion happened that very same night.”
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