News
After three days, lost leopard cub reunites with mother
View(s):By Malaka Rodrigo
February 26 was just another day in Yullifield Estate in Hatton, when a worker in the Erroll division stepped into the toilet in his small backyard. He got the shock of his life on seeing a leopard cub inside. The estate management informed the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s (DWC) regional office of the find.
The wildlife officers from both Nallathanniya and Hakgala soon arrived at the scene. As there were lots of people gathered outside and there was no chance of the mother returning to the location during the daytime, the cub was carefully transported to the Randenigala wildlife veterinary unit.
Wildlife veterinarian Dr Akalanka Pinidiya believed that the cub was a 4-month-old healthy female and the best course of action would be to reunite the cub with its mother.
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- The cub found inside the toilet
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- The cub in the cage and right, cub and mother reunited
Since the location the cub was found in was in the middle of a human settlement, it was believed that the mother would not visit the same area if there was too much activity. The DWC team therefore found a relatively quiet spot about 200 metres away from the initial location of the cub.
The team secured the cub in a small cage. The cage was unlocked but a small rock was placed to keep the door closed so that the cub couldn’t push open the door, but the mother could if it turned up.
Since the DWC team’ stationed themselves far away from the spot they set up camera traps to record what was going on. The camera captured a male leopard coming and inspecting the cage, but there was no sign of the mother.
The DWC team stayed on at the Yullifield Estate, but there was no sign of the mother on the second day either.
But on the third day, to everyone’s joy, the cub was not in the cage. When the DWC team checked the camera it showed the mother and cub reuniting.
“I was in tears seeing the cub reunite with her mother,” said Sankha Wanniarachchi of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS).
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