Maharashtra’s Chas village in Pune district witnessed an emotional reunion of a 45-day-old leopard cub with his mother. This was due to the collaborative efforts of the villagers, the Maharashtra Forest Department and the non-governmental organisation Wildlife SOS.

The leopard cub was discovered near an onion storage house in the village which is located in Manchar Forest Range. As the villagers here are accustomed to seeing leopards and their cubs, they immediately reported the incident to the Forest Department. The cub was rescued by the forest officials and rushed to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar that is jointly run by the department with Wildlife SOS.

On examining the cub, it was found to be a male and 1.5 months old

Sharing details about the cub, 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.

Smita Rajhans, Range Forest Officer, Manchar Forest Range talking about the incident said: “We are glad that the mother safely took the young leopard away and the reunion happened that very same night.”