A year after he was found abandoned in a sugarcane field, vets say there are happy tidings ahead for the leopard cub, Simba. Named after the famous lion cub from the famous Disney movie, Simba was rescued by Wildlife SOS and the Maharashtra Forest Department in 2021. He has been receiving holistic care at the Wildlife SOS Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar, Maharashtra.
Almost a year ago, villagers in Kolwade village located in the Sangamner range of Maharashtra came across a lone leopard cub being chased by feral dogs. The concerned villagers, trained in preliminary protocol upon finding a stranded leopard cub, contacted the Maharashtra Forest Department.
The Wildlife SOS team operating out of the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar was called in for reinforcements.
Nikhil Bangar, veterinary doctor with the Wildlife SOS, had then identified the cub as a two-month-old male. A medical examination had revealed that the cub was injured in the attack, but more critically had been separated from his mother.
To repatriate the cub to the wild, and unite him with his mother, the cub was placed in a safe box after giving him proper medical care. Despite several attempts, the mother was never found, presumably having left the area or worse yet, having succumbed to the perils of living near a populated urban area.
Abandoned and unfit to survive in the wild, the cub was taken in by the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre of the Forest Department.
Bangar, who is now the Wildlife Veterinary Officer at Wildlife SOS, said, “Leopard cubs are unable to survive in the wild without their mothers. This is because the mother teaches her cub basic survival skills such as hunting, where to hide, and which areas to venture in. Without his mother, Simba is unfit to survive in the wild and thus requires prolonged care.”
Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, Kartick Satyanarayan, said, “The circumstances that brought Simba to our centre are undeniably heartbreaking, but given the harsh realities wildlife is facing, we can amplify our efforts to conserve leopards (population) in India. We do not know what happened to Simba’s mother, but to ensure that leopards do not face similar consequences, we can campaign for better protection of leopards by creating awareness.”
“Unaware of how to survive in a jungle, Simba will never be able to return to the wild. For us, raising a leopard cub is the last resort. In an ideal world, Simba who is one year old would still be under the watchful eye of his mother as she taught him how to be a fierce leopard,” said Geeta Seshamani, co-founder and Secretary of Wildlife SOS.
Expansion of sugarcane crop area in Maharashtra is slowly encroaching upon leopard-dwelling territory. Hence, these displaced big cats use the tall sugarcane grass as a refuge. Consequently, people often encounter cubs in these areas, leading to potentially risky situations.
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