Maharashtra: Paralysed one-year-old leopard makes miraculous recovery

The young leopard trying to stand up during an assisted walk session at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center, Maharashtra

Once again the efforts taken by the Maharashtra Forest Department and NGO Wildlife SOS have been successful as a one-year-old male leopard, who had been paralysed after a suspected attack by an older leopard, has made a miraculous recovery after months of extensive treatment and therapy at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre.

It may be noted that the centre is run by NGO Wildlife SOS in collaboration with the Forest Department in Junnar, Maharashtra.

According to the NGO, in the month of July, the wildlife conservation NGO received a call from the DFO Sangamner, Gaikar about an injured male leopard in need of urgent medical intervention.

As it required long term treatment and care, the leopard was transferred to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar. A preliminary examination showed that the leopard had minor head injuries and maggot-infested wounds on the neck region. It was further revealed that the young feline was suffering from nerve damage, which had caused complete paralysis of its forelimbs.

Jayaramegowda R., Deputy Conservator of Forests Junnar, said, "The leopard was in a very critical state when it arrived at the centre. His recovery was truly amazing and it is reassuring to know that he can now live freely in the wild."

The leopard was placed under long recuperative treatment that involved daily leg massages, physiotherapy, assisted walks and nerve stimulating injections. Months of intensive treatment eventually paid off and the leopard exhibited outstanding progress by slowly regaining control of his limbs. Given a new lease on life, the young leopard was ready to return to the wild and has since, been released into a suitable leopard habitat.

Dr Ajay Deshmukh, Senior Veterinarian at Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre said, "While such incidents are terrible, we were very fortunate to have had this experience before because it prepared us for the long journey to recovery for the young leopard. These animals have an incredible sense of self-preservation, so there was never any doubt as to his recovery. We are very happy that the leopard is now healthy enough to be released into the wild where it can thrive."

Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, "The process of treating and rehabilitating an animal suffering from such conditions takes a lot of time and it can be very exhausting, both emotionally and physically. These are also highly rare - there aren't as many successful rehabilitation stories across the country as we would like to believe. Our vets and keepers did not leave the side of that cub even for a minute during the first few weeks. We are happy to know we can alleviate and help these beautiful animals to recover and go back to living a healthy life in the wild. We are very grateful to the Forest department for working with us in such difficult situations."

What the Forest Department has to say?

Nilesh Akhade, RFO Sangamner said, "When we first found the leopard, chances of its survival and its return to the wild seemed bleak. We are nothing short of amazed to see him overcome such a hurdle and I am grateful to the hard work put in by the Wildlife SOS team. The leopard's stunning progress is a testament to their expertise."

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