Four leopard cubs reunited with mother in Pune district

In a successful operation, four leopard cubs were reunited with their mother in Junnar in Pune district of Maharashtra.

The leopard cubs were spotted by local farmers at a sugarcane field in Kabadwadi village.

Wildlife SOS and the Junnar Forest Department carried out the operation to reunite with their mother.

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Aware of protocols on finding stranded leopard cubs, the farmers immediately contacted the Junnar Forest Department who called in a Wildlife SOS team operating out of the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center for reinforcements.

Upon arriving at the location, Wildlife SOS veterinary doctor, Dr Nikhil Bangar identified the cubs as two females and two males, approximately 2 months of age.

The leopard cubs were taken to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre for medical examination. They were found to be in good health and fit to be reunited with their mother.

To ensure a successful reunion, the team waited until nightfall to set the operation in motion as leopards are most active during this time. The cubs were placed in a safe box and kept in the same location they were found in.

Camera traps installed to monitor the cubs confirmed that they were successfully reunited with their mother.

Relieved to find her cubs, the mother warmly greeted them and carried them off to a safer location.

“Conducting a reunion at night is integral to a successful operation, keeping in mind the nocturnal nature of leopards. Further, there is minimal human presence during night time, giving the mother enough time to find and secure her cubs,” Dr Bangar said.

Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said: “Time is of the essence in these situations as the longer the separation between cubs and mother, the harder it is to reunite them. Our consistent efforts to raise awareness in the Junnar area have made villagers aware of this fact. They now act promptly by alerting concerned authorities if confronted with any stranded leopard cub.”

“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,” Ajit Shinde, Range Forest Officer, Junnar said.

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