THRISSUR: The leopard cub that was found in an uninhabited house at Ummini in Palakkad district, and separated from its mother, died while being nursed at the Akamala forest clinic on Sunday. Animal welfare activists alleged that the forest department violated the protocol laid down by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
The cub, which was nearly seven weeks old then, was found in a locked house in Palakkad along with another cub on January 9. Considering the safety of the public, forest officials shifted the cubs to their custody. When kept in a cage near the forest in the same area, the mother leopard took one cub back into the forest. But it didn’t come to take the second cub.
The cub was shifted to the Akamala clinic on January 15. Forest veterinary surgeon and in-charge of Akamala clinic David Abraham led the team that took care of the cub. The cub was provided with nutrient supplements along with milk. As it grew, chicken soup was also introduced to meet its dietary requirements. The cub had suffered constipation when the chicken soup was started, but later it overcame it.
According to David, "Two weeks back, it showed symptoms of constipation again. Though we took expert opinion and started medication, her health started deteriorating following intestinal bleeding. We tried everything possible to save her, but she died around 2:30pm."
Experts pointed out that the cub was already under stress after getting separated from its mother. Former member of the state Animal Welfare Board MN Jayachandran said taking the cub so far away from where it was found itself was wrong from the part of forest officials.
As per the protocol, if a tiger or leopard cub is found abandoned, a technical committee of experts should be formed and further decisions should be taken by that committee.
"In this case, the decisions were made by the forest officials without even thinking of the rights of the mother leopard over its cub. Moreover, no sincere attempts were made to unite the cub with the mother," he added.
The autopsy of the carcass will be conducted on Monday in the presence of a team of experts from Mannuthy Veterinary College.