27 May 2023  |   06:15am IST

Three leopard cubs found at Shirshire-Borim; foresters await mother’s return

Team Herald

PONDA: Residents of Shirshire-Borim were taken aback on Friday morning when they discovered the presence of a full-grown male leopard and three leopard cubs near the house of local resident  

Lakshman Joshi.

Joshi, who had been cultivating tall grass for his cattle in the vicinity, had noticed a peculiar stench emanating from the grass for the past few days. On Thursday, he had heard the distinct snarls of the leopard, but it was on Friday morning that the snarling grew more intense. Alarmed by the situation, Joshi promptly informed his neighbour, Suryakant Gaude, who ventured closer to investigate. To their astonishment, Gaude found three leopard cubs.

The Forest Department was immediately alerted, and officer Deepak Tandel’s kept watch throughout the day and well into the night, ensuring the safety of both the leopards and the community. In the evening, wildlife enthusiast Charan Desai and a few others attempted to locate the mother leopard using a drone camera. However, the dense grass hindered their search efforts. Forest officials remained on high alert, awaiting the return of the mother leopard to carry her cubs back into the safety of the forest.