Science

Maharashtra villagers help to reunite 45-day-old leopard cub with mother

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

The cub was found to be dehydrated and was attended to by the veterinary doctor before being reunited with his mother

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.”

S.Ravi

S. Ravi writes on science, evolution and wildlife besides trends in culture, history, art, and stories of human interest.

Recent Posts

US President Biden increases tariffs on imports of electric vehicles, other goods from China

US President Joe Biden has directed his Trade Representative to increase tariffs on USD 18…

7 hours ago

Supreme Court of India organises training programme for registry officials of Supreme Court of Sri Lanka

A delegation consisting of 15 officials of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court successfully completed a…

8 hours ago

India shipped 34 million smartphones in Q1 of 2024; 11.5 pc YoY growth

India's smartphone market shipped 34 million smartphone units in the first quarter of 2024. It…

9 hours ago

Indian Navy, Australian Navy strengthen maritime cooperation with successful talks

In a step towards bolstering maritime cooperation, the 16th Indian Navy-Australian Navy Staff Talks concluded…

10 hours ago

Protests in PoJK called off relief package demand met; 3 killed in clashes

After several days of intense protests and violence which led to the death of three…

10 hours ago

India, US convene second dialogue on Africa in Washington

In a concerted effort to strengthen ties and collaborate on development initiatives in Africa, the…

10 hours ago