Pune: Leopard Cubs Stranded In Sugarcane Field, Rescued And Reunited With Mother

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Junnar, 3rd January 2021: A pair of 45-day-old leopard cubs were discovered by sugarcane farmers in Nirgude Village located in Junnar taluka of Pune district, Maharashtra.

The cubs were safely reunited with their mother in a successful operation carried out by Wildlife SOS & the Forest Department.

On Sunday, farmers in Nirgude village stumbled upon two tiny leopard cubs while harvesting sugarcane. It is not uncommon for farmers to be exposed to young leopard cubs taking up shelter in sugarcane fields in Maharashtra. The tall, dense sugarcane stalks provide adequate cover for the leopards but leave their cubs at risk of being found by people working in the fields.

The incident was immediately reported to the Forest Department who rushed to their aid. The cubs were later brought to the Wildlife SOS Leopard Rescue Center for medical examination.

Identified as one male and one female, the cubs were estimated to be about 45-days-old. Wildlife SOS wildlife veterinary officer, Dr Nikhil Bangar conducted a meticulous examination for ticks and injuries and found the cubs to be healthy and fit to return to their mother.

Wildlife SOS & the Forest Department facilitated the reunion by placing the cubs in a safe box, close to where they were discovered and installed a remote controlled camera trap to document the reunion process.

Dr Nikhil Bangar, Wildlife Veterinary Officer, Wildlife SOS, said, “The mother must have been searching for her cubs, as within a few minutes she was able to sniff them out. On reaching the box, she patiently waited to ensure no danger stood in the way, and then she cleverly used her paws to tip it over. She then moved her cubs to a safer location. Wildlife SOS makes every effort to make such rescue and reunion operations possible.”

Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, “Over the years, Wildlife SOS has partnered with the state forest department to conduct many workshops and awareness modules which have shown significant results, indicated by the increasing number of phone calls we get for rescuing distressed wildlife. It has been our sincere effort to mitigate conflict in these areas, and we are incredibly grateful to the forest department for being such a staunch support and the local residents, who are keeping avoidance and mitigation teachings in mind when dealing with wild animals.”

Ajit Shinde, Range Forest Officer, said, “We are glad to see that people are becoming more sensitized towards the wildlife that share the surrounding habitats. Today, more and more people are reaching out to us for help when they encounter leopards and other wild animals in the area.”