A 13-week-old leopard cub was found wandering around near a farming village in India.

Thanks to the efforts of local wildlife services it was swiftly reunited with its mother.

Over the years, the wild cats of Maharashtra, west-central India, have suitably adapted to habitat modification and have moved out of the shrinking forests, and into the dense sugarcane fields. Female leopards have found these fields a suitable shelter for giving birth and rearing their cubs.

Locals have attempted to avoid any conflicts. But on Tuesday afternoon one of the cubs wandered away from its siblings and ventured into the area.

A farmer spotted the helpless young leopard outside his sugarcane field and fearing that he might incur the wrath of the mother leopard, rushed to alert the Forest Department.

Range Forest Officer Manisha Bhinge immediately reached out to the Wildlife SOS team operating out of the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center in Junnar for their assistance.

A four-member team led by Wildlife SOS senior veterinarian, Dr. Ajay Deshmukh drove to the village located nearly 90km away from the rescue centre, accompanied by a team of forest officers.

The team carefully placed him in a safe box and installed a remote-controlled camera trap to document the reunion process, while monitoring the area from a distance.

After hours of waiting, the large female leopard finally emerged from the neighbouring forest to find her cub safe and sound.

A 13 week old Leopard cub was found near a farming village in Parner, Maharashtra. In a successful rescue and conservation effort by Wildlife SOS & the Forest Department the lost cub was later reunited with its mother and siblings!
Over the years, the wild cats of Maharashtra have suitably adapted to habitat modification and have moved out of the shrinking forests, and into the dense sugarcane fields. Female leopards have found these fields a suitable shelter for giving birth and rearing their cubs.
Recently, a leopard had given birth to three cubs outside Wadegavhan village in Parner, located in Ahmednagar district. Locals would catch occasional glimpses of the mother and her off-springs outside the village and have tried their best to keep their distance to avoid any form of conflict. On Tuesday afternoon, however, one of the cubs wandered far away from its siblings and had ventured into the village. A farmer spotted the helpless young leopard outside his sugarcane field and fearing that he might incur the wrath of the mother leopard, rushed to alert the Forest Department. Range Forest Officer Manisha Bhinge immediately reached out to the Wildlife SOS team operating out of the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center in Junnar for their assistance.
A four member team led by Wildlife SOS senior veterinarian, Dr. Ajay Deshmukh drove to the village located nearly 90 kms away from the rescue centre, accompanied by a team of forest officers. The cub was approx. 13 weeks old and identified as a male. In hopes of reuniting the lost cub with its family, the team carefully placed him in a safe box and installed a remote controlled camera trap to document the reunion process, while monitoring the area from a distance. After hours of waiting, the large female leopard finally emerged from the neighbouring forest and we could only imagine her relief on finding her young one safe and sound!
Dr. Ajay Deshmukh, Senior Veterinarian at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre said, “In order to survive in the wild and learn the skills of survival, it is crucial for leopard cubs to be reared by their mothers for the first two years of their lives. It is also immensely rewarding for us to know that the cub will now have a chance at a free life in the wild along with his siblings.”
Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder & CEO of Wildlife SOS said, “Such reunions are also important to help curb conflict situations. If female leopards are unable to locate their cubs, it is natural for them to turn defensive or aggressive and they pose an immediate threat to humans in close proximity. Wildlife SOS works closely with the Forest Dept. to conduct rescue missions and create awareness amongst the local communities to encourage tolerance towards these majestic cats as well as to mitigate conflict.”
Manisha Bhinge, Rane Forest Officer (Parner) said, “The Shirur region has a significant leopard population and due to rapid loss of forest cover, these animals have found safe cover in the dense sugarcane fields. It’s reassuring to know that the reunited cub will be raised in the wild by his mother and thereby have a good chance at a free life in the wild. The leopard mother was spotted nearby, and so we chose to release the leopard cub in the area soon after the rescue, once Dr. Ajay had carried out a careful medical examination and ascertained him to be healthy and fit for release.”