In a heartwarming display of dedication and successful wildlife conservation, Forest Department officials in Karnataka’s Hassan district have achieved a remarkable feat by reuniting three leopard cubs with their mother. This operation took more than seven continuous days, culminating in a touching reunion captured on camera traps, showing the mother leopard finding her young ones in the designated area.
The journey to this reunion began on October 2, when farmers harvesting sugarcane in Bediganahalli, Channarayapatna taluk, discovered the three leopard cubs. Concerned for their safety, the farmers brought the cubs home and promptly alerted the Forest Department. Channarayapatna Range forest officials quickly responded, instructing the farmers to pause their harvesting activities in the field. The team then meticulously searched for the mother leopard, following her pug marks, and strategically placed the cubs in a box equipped with a camera trap at the last known location of her movement.
The following day, the mother leopard appeared and retrieved one cub. On the third day, she returned for another. However, the third cub remained, and the mother did not immediately return for it.
Undeterred, Hassan Deputy Conservator of Forests, Sourabh Kumar, who has a history of successful rescue missions, explained the next steps. He surmised that the mother had likely moved to a safer, new location with her two cubs. To pinpoint this new refuge, a sniffer dog from the Bhadra Tiger Reserve was brought in, tracking the leopard’s pug marks for approximately one kilometer. Further assistance came from the Elephant Task Force in Belur range, whose thermal drone successfully located the mother leopard’s new hiding spot. The third cub was then carefully relocated to this new area, placed inside a box. On the seventh day of the operation, the persistent efforts paid off as the mother finally retrieved her last cub, completing the family reunion.
Mr. Kumar extended special appreciation to Hirisave Deputy Range Forest Officer K.S. Shankar and his team, acknowledging their crucial role and unwavering commitment throughout this challenging but ultimately successful reunification effort.