Reunited leopard family gets separated again, reunited

Nagpur: In a repeat incident, Wildlife SOS and the forest department rescued a pair of male leopard cubs that were previously

reunited

with their mother in Otur village located in Junnar taluka of Pune in Maharashtra.

The lost cubs were identified by their unique microchip number and were once again reunited with their mother. It turned out that the mother leopard had moved her cubs to a neighbouring sugarcane field after the successful reunion operation by Wildlife SOS and the forest department, earlier this month.

Sugarcane farmers were gathering the last of their harvest when they stumbled upon the two leopard cubs in the field. The local communities living in the areas surrounding Junnar have been trained in preliminary rescue protocols as human-leopard interaction is very high.

The farmers did not waste another second and reached out to the forest department, who were quick to reach the spot along with a team from the Wildlife SOS Leopard Rescue Center. Wildlife SOS veterinary doctor Nikhil Bangar conducted a thorough on-site medical examination and was surprised to find that they were the same cubs that were previously rescued by the team.

Dr Bangar said, “We were able to identify them with the help of the microchips consisting of a unique identification number that was implanted before the first reunion operation.”

Post-checkup, the team worked quickly and efficiently to set up an installation where the cubs were placed safely, close to where they were found. Camera traps set up by the team captured the mother leopard slowly approaching the field around midnight. Relieved to see her cubs safe and sound, she carefully lifted them by the scruff of the neck and relocated to a safer location.

Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, “Wildlife SOS works closely with the forest department to raise awareness about these issues in man-leopard conflict-prone villages which have now brought about a considerable and positive change in the attitude of people towards leopards and other wild animals. In this month alone, our team has successfully reunited over 15 leopard cubs with their mothers.”

Harvest season in Maharashtra often coincides with leopard cub season, which puts both humans and these elusive wild cats in a rather sensitive and conflicting situation. The sugarcane fields provide a suitable shelter for the leopards to breed in and to nurture their cubs, so chances of such encounters are higher during the pre-harvest and harvest seasons.