8-week-old leopard cub successfully reunited with its mother in Junnar

In what can be termed as a celebration of World Wildlife Day in the true sense NGO Wildlife SOS along with Maharashtra Forest Department successfully reunited an 8week old leopard cub that had got separated from its mother near Nirgude village in JunnarThe 8weekold leopard cub that was rescued by Wildlife SOS and the Maharashtra Forest Department in JunnarIt may be noted that harvest season has commenced in Maharashtra and this is considered good news by two communities sugarcane farmers and leopards For the farmers it is now time to grow the cash crop that they depend on heavily for livelihood and for the leopards this season signifies a new cycle of life they find the sugarcane farms to be exceedingly well suited to the needs of motherhood protection from predators humans and plenty of food in the nearby forest fringes everything a fiercely protective new mother would need to successfully rear her children But it is a false sense of security that often proves dangerous for both communities sharing the landA days hard work for the farmers of Nirgude village was just ending around dusk on Monday when they heard sporadic almost inaudible cries from a thick clump of sugarcane stalks Farmers in Maharashtra often live in close proximity to leopards so when they heard the cries of a cub they knew the mother was not far behind To avoid a dangerous encounter the kindhearted villagers immediately contacted the Forest Department of Junnar who in turn reached out to Wildlife SOS to help reunite the helpless cub with its motherThe8weekold cub was incredibly young to survive on her ownThe young feline was identified as a female approximately 8 weeks old and was found to be fit for release after a thorough medical examination The team immediately prepared all the requisite equipment including a safe box and a remotecontrolled camera trap while they assumed positions at a safe distance After a while a leopardess was observed stealthily making her way to the safe box and was incredibly relieved to find her cub safe and alive insideMahendra Dhore Wildlife SOS Veterinary Assistant said The 8weekold cub was incredibly young to survive on her own We would like to ensure that leopard cubs that get separated from their mothers dont end up in captivity if we can help it We want them to live freely in their natural habitat Wildlife SOS makes every effort to make such rescue and reunion operations possibleKartick Satyanarayan Cofounder amp CEO of Wildlife SOS said On the occasion of World Wildlife Day we would like to draw everyones attention to the mananimal conflict prevalent in Maharashtra Over the past decade Wildlife SOS has partnered with the state forest department to conduct many workshops and awareness modules which have shown significant result indicated by the increasing number of phone calls we get for rescuing distressed wildlife It has been our sincere effort to mitigate conflict in these areas and we are incredibly grateful to the forest department for being such staunch support and the local residents who are keeping avoidance and mitigation teachings in mind when dealing with wild animalsAjit Shinde Range Forest Officer Junnar said We were contacted by local farmers when they found the cub in the farm We deployed a team to assess the situation while the Wildlife SOS team arrived to begin the reunion operation We are extremely grateful for their support in our efforts to mitigate manleopard conflict situations in the state and spreading awareness on such issuesCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates