Tinsukia, May 24, 2021: Working with the Assam Forest Department and with a little help from the local community, Wildlife Trust of India’s Mobile Veterinary Service in Eastern Assam reunited a leopard cub with its mother within 12 hours of finding it in a tea estate.
It all began with a phone call from the Forest Department to WTI’s veterinarian, Dr Khanin Changmai, about a leopard cub found stuck in a small trench in one of the tea gardens at Natun Gaon, Tinsukia. Workers at the tea garden had spotted the leopard and her cub sometime in the early hours of May 23, 2021. They raised an alarm that made the leopard flee in panic, leaving the cub behind.
Once our team comprising Dr Changmai, the Veterinarian and Aftab Ahmed, the biologist along with three forest department staff reached the spot, the veterinarian took charge and the vitals were monitored. The cub was a melanistic female, barely a month old. The vet administered oral rehydration to the dehydrated cub and the decision to reunite the cub was taken immediately in consultation with the forest department.
Our team together with forest department staff placed a camera trap at around 4:00 PM in the presence of the tea garden manager and his staff to monitor any activity by the leopard while she would be on a look out for the cub. A carton with bedding material was used to keep the animal with loosely closed upper flaps and a few small holes in the box for proper ventilation, enabling the mother track her baby.
Dr Changmai ensured the cub was hydrated at regular intervals as he presumed the mother might take a while to return. The owner of the tea garden Mr Guneshwar Hazarika remained with the team and showed full cooperation in the entire process of reuniting the cub with the mother.
Around 7:50 PM on the 23rd, today, the camera traps set by our biologist Aftab Ahmed captured some shots where the leopard was seen nudging the carton and sniffing it in order to identify her little one. After a few minutes of juggle, the cub was out of the box, and back into the wilderness with the mother.
For Dr Changmai it was all in a day’s work but doubly challenging – a reunion like this is not always successful but fortunately this one had a happy ending. An even bigger challenge was to convince the locals about the entire reuniting process. A few villagers perceived the cub as a potential threat in a few years of time. However, after addressing their concerns and giving assurance of full support from the department and WTI to handle such situations, they were convinced for the same.
“It was a very heart-warming moment for me and once we saw the mother reunite with the cub, and it feels like our efforts paid off well”, said a happy veterinarian.
Our team of experts with years of experience on their hands and passion for their work minimized the time of separation between the cub and mother, which is an important contributing factor for a successful reunion.
WTI rescues, rehabilitates and releases wildlife with the Assam Forest Department and in partnership with IFAW. The MVS unit in Eastern Assam is additionally supported by HCL Foundation and serves to save fauna and mitigate conflict with wildlife in this region.
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