Officers of the Kurseong forest division successfully reunited a female leopard with its cub early on Saturday after careful surveillance at Foujijote in the Ghoshpukur forest range, around 20km from Siliguri.
Forest guards of the Ghoshpukur range spotted the cub by itself, seemingly abandoned, on Friday.
Sambarata Sadhu, the range officer, said that the foresters swiftly cordoned off and scanned the surroundings to ensure the cub’s safety while keeping an eye out for the mother leopard.
“Rather than intervening directly, we opted for a cautious and strategic approach to avoid disrupting the natural bond between the mother and her young. CCTV cameras were installed at the site with assistance from members of Jumbo Troops, an NGO,” he said.
The cub was closely monitored throughout the day and foresters maintained a safe distance to avoid deterring the mother’s return.
“Our priority was to ensure the cub’s safety without separating it permanently from its mother,” Sadhu said.
Around 3am on Saturday, foresters could no longer spot the cub at the location and they discovered that its mother had taken it away after reviewing the CCTV footage.
“The recordings confirmed that the female leopard had returned under the cover of darkness and carried her cub away to safety,” the range officer said.