Indian zoo has too many leopards, unable to take injured cub

31 October 2009, 07:03am IST

NAGPUR: Two one-month-old leopard cubs were rescued from Kotamba village near Selu in Wardha Forest Division by forest officials on Friday. One
of the injured female cubs has been brought to Nagpur for treatment, while the forest officials were able to reunite the second cub with its mother at around 8.30pm the same day.

According to Vivek Khandekar, deputy conservator of forests (DyCF), Wardha Division, the cubs were first noticed by a Kotamba villager when they were being attacked by stray dogs. He immediately informed the foresters who reached the spot and rescued them. Khandekar said efforts were taken immediately to reunite the healthy cub with its mother while the injured cub was taken to Nagpur. “The area where cubs were found is ideal with undulated terrain and a nullah. However, there is no earlier record of leopard sighting in the area,” he told TOI.

The injured female cub brought to Nagpur has been kept at the deer park at Seminary Hills where wildlife wing’s veterinary doctor Chitra Raut is treating it. It has been hurt by some blunt object and is unable to walk properly. It is active but in a state of shock after being separated from mother.

Raut said the cub was suffering from partial paralysis and also has external injuries. “We will take an x-ray tomorrow to know what is wrong. It will be given calcium and phosphorus and other treatment to regenerate nerves,” she said. This time, the forest department did not take the injured leopard to Maharajbagh zoo, which already has too many of them, most rescued from Chandrapur district.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Injured-leopard-cub-brought-to-city/articleshow/5182802.cms

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