JOIN USA team of volunteers from People for Animals (PFA) rescued and rehabilitated a displaced jungle cat from Yelahanka New Town in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
The PFA received a call around midnight on Tuesday from a resident who had gone searching for his missing turkey. Based on a complaint from residents, rescuers Somu, Harish and Pavan rushed to Yelahanka New Town equipped with a catcher and kennel. They found the jungle cat inside a sewage passageway.
The informer said he found the cat preying on the bird. Out of fear, he had closed the other end of the tunnel with plywood planks and alerted the PFA shelter.
The PFA team placed the kennel inside the passageway to minimise the risk of being attacked by the adult jungle cat. The rescuers then placed wooden planks to close the gaps between the cat and the kennel. After nearly two hours of repeated attempts, the rescuers were able to get the cat into the kennel.
“At one point, the jungle cat was inside the kennel. By the time we tried to close the lid, the swift animal escaped. This happened twice. We were no match for its reflexes and dexterity,” said Harish.
Jungle cats are a rare sighting and in nearly three years, only three other adult jungle cats have been rescued by PFA. As the cat was healthy, it was released into a conducive habitat away from human habitation on Wednesday, Harish added.