Mumbai: Leopard cub at SGNP wildly confuses officials

The cub was brought to SGNP after she was injured in a hit-and-run near Nashik

A Leopard cub at Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) has brought both joy and confusion to officials. The cub, around 10-12 months old, who was injured in a hit-and-run accident near Sinnar in Nashik came to SGNP for further treatment three days ago.

While she has been declared medically fit, authorities cannot decide if they should release her back in the wild because she might not be able to find her mother. Some of them also fear that if she looks for her mother after being released at the site of the accident, there are chances of her going near a human settlement. If that happens, the villagers might see her as a threat and injure her.

The injured leopard was found on March 24 after Mayur Kamath, honorary wildlife warden of Mumbai's suburbs, got a tip-off from his sources in Sinnar. Kamath immediately informed the forest department officials who then took the cub to a veterinarian in Nashik. She was then brought to the leopard rescue and rehabilitation centre at SGNP for further treatment.

Dr Shailesh Pethe, SGNP's veterinary officer said, "From the last two days, we have been closely monitoring the health of the leopard cub that was injured in a car accident. An x-ray was also done to look for any serious injuries. The good news is that there are no internal injuries, except for a small wound."

Sources from the forest department said they are also confused about releasing the cub. Meanwhile, Anwar Ahmed, SGNP director and Chief Conservator of Forest said , "We are monitoring the health of the leopard and discussing all possible aspects about its release because a lot of factors are related to it. A final call will be taken based on the suggestions given by the experts."

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