Miscellaneous
Leopard cubs released in wild
Two leopard cubs reared for some time in a temporary shelter were released in the wild on Friday.Two leopard cubs reared for some time in a temporary shelter were released in the wild on Friday.
Under the Leopard Rewilding Programme initiated in February 2014, two cubs named Tika and Ram, rescued from different parts of the country, were reintroduced into their wild habitats, after going through a rehabilitation process for almost two years.
The WildTiger Conservation Research and Development, which implements the programme in coordination with the National Trust for Nature Conservation and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, aims to give leopards of different ages the chance to be rehabilitated in a natural environment with minimal human contact.
“The rewilding programme was initiated to help these predators to be placed into the ecosystems where their numbers have been on decline due to human activities. There are several areas where increased human activities are having an impact on leopard conservation,” said Jack Kinross, a conservationist with WildTiger. The conservationists involved in the relocation process do not want to disclose the locations for security reasons.
The rehabilitation process is being carried out in three stages. In the first stage, orphaned cubs or juvenile leopards are taken in to a temporary den area and are cared for until they are fit for stage 2.
The den is used as a rescue and rehabilitation facility for the cub where it is provided with veterinary care, an exercise regime and social interaction with handlers.
In stage 2, the cubs that are approaching seven months of age need to be placed in a location chosen to complete the separation process to allow the sub-adults to live independently in the wild habitat. The relocation of leopards into the wild will be monitored using non-invasive tracking system.
At this time, human contact is restricted while monitoring will continue for a period of at least two years through different types of technology including real time camera traps. In stage 3, the sub-adult is finally reintroduced in the wild.