PUNE: A two-month-old leopard cub found abandoned in a sugarcane field is receiving holistic care at the Wildlife SOS Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar, Maharashtra.
The leopard, fondly called “Simba”, was rescued by Wildlife SOS and the Forest Department in 2021.
Almost a year ago, villagers in Kolwade village in Sangamner range of Maharashtra found a lone leopard cub. Trained in preliminary protocol on finding a stranded leopard cub, the villagers contacted the Maharashtra forest department. The Wildlife SOS team operating out of the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre was then called in for reinforcements.
Sugarcane expansion in Maharashtra is slowly encroaching upon the leopard's territory. These displaced felines thus utilize the tall sugarcane grass as a refuge.
Wildlife SOS veterinary doctor, Dr Nikhil Bangar identified the cub as a 2-month-old male. An on-site medical examination also revealed that the cub had sustained a minor injury, but more critically was isolated from his mother.
After providing the cub with medical care, he was placed in a safe box to be reunited with his mother. Despite several reunion attempts, the mother never returned, presumably having left the area or having succumbed to the perils of living near a populated urban area.
Abandoned and unfit to survive in the wild, the cub was rehabilitated at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre by the forest department. The cub has now grown into a strong and healthy sub-adult.
Dr Bangar, said, “Leopard cubs are unable to survive in the wild without their mothers. This is because the mother teaches her cubs basic survival skills such as hunting, where to hide, and which areas to venture in. Without his mother, Simba is unfit to survive in the wild and thus requires prolonged care.”
