There was unbounded joy among the Talegaon Dhamdhere villagers and Maharashtra Forest Department and Wildlife SOS officials as after several futile attempts two leopard cubs were eventually reunited with their mother.

The two were spotted in a sugarcane field near the village which is situated in Pune district’s Shirur Forest Range, and the local farmers immediately informed the Forest Department. Though the two were rescued over the weekend, attempts to reunite them with the mother failed as she did not show up and the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre run by Wildlife SOS was contacted.

The cubs – one male and one female and estimated to be four to six weeks old — were then placed in a safe box close to the spot where they had been found and the box was lined with their urine drops to help mother reach them. This time round, the camera traps captured the heart-warming moment of the female leopard finding her cubs and carrying them away to a safer location.

Manohar Ramdev Mhasekar, Range Forest Officer, Shirur observed: “Shirur is a leopard dominant area and this is the second leopard cub reunion this month. We called the Wildlife SOS team to help us with the reunion which was completed successfully."

Talking about the reunion, Dr. Nikhil Bangar, Veterinary Officer, Wildlife SOS said: “On reaching the box, the mother leopard patiently waited to ensure no danger stood in the way, and then cleverly used her paws to tip the box over. Using scent-markings for reunions is an essential technique as it helps the mother to locate her cubs. This is the third successful reunion in a month and Wildlife SOS makes every possible effort to make such rescue and reunion operations possible.”