The sugarcane harvesting workers were in for a surprise when working in a field they spotted a small leopard cub in the dense stalks. This incident took place at Pune District’s Shiroli village which falls in the Junnar Forest Division.

Without wasting any time, the villagers got in touch with the Forest Department officials who, along with the team from the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar, reached the spot. Rescuing the cub, they moved it to the Centre premises.

A mandatory health examination of the cub was conducted and it was identified as a male and estimated to be 45 days old. It was found fit for reunion with his mother and taken back to the location from where he was discovered.

The cub was placed in a safe box which was lined with the cub’s urine drops. The camera traps set up there after a few hours showed the heart-warming moment of the female leopard finding her cub and carrying him away to a safer location.

Interestingly this was the 100th successful leopard cub reunion for the NGO.

Talking about the operation, Dr Chandan Sawane, Veterinary Officer, Wildlife SOS said: “Lining the box with the cub’s urine acts as a scent marking to assist the mother leopard in locating him more easily. The leopard’s mother cautiously approached the safety box as seen in the camera trap footage. After scanning the area for any danger, she cleverly used her paw to tip the box over, and safely carried away her cub to a safe location.”