A leopard cub, around 25 days old, was rescued by a local in Himachal Pradesh. The man found the animal abandoned and vulnerable by the roadside.
Ankush Chauhan, a resident of Shimla's Kotkhai, spotted the cub shivering in the bushes. After several days of waiting for the mother to return and noticing the cub's deteriorating condition and the threat from nearby dogs, Mr Chauhan decided to intervene. "We realised it was no longer safe for him to stay there. It was time to act," he told The Tribune.
Mr Chauhan carefully picked up the cub and placed it in his car, then contacted forest officials. Footage shared on social media shows the cub in the car, peering out the window and trying to climb the seats.
Following their instructions, he transported the cub to the Theog Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Manish Rampal.
Mr Rampal confirmed, "The little one was under tremendous stress, but he's more stable now." The cub was immediately handed over to a veterinary doctor for care.
As per wildlife rescue protocols, forest officials will monitor the site for three days to see if the mother returns. If she does not, the cub will be relocated to a permanent sanctuary for its safety and care.
The leopard is a highly adaptable big cat found across a wide range of habitats, including tropical rainforests, dry deciduous forests, temperate forests, and northern coniferous forests. India has the largest leopard population globally, with the highest densities in prey-rich forested landscapes such as Central India and the Eastern Ghats. Despite their adaptability, leopards face ongoing threats from habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching.
Last month, a video shared by Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan showed a rescued leopard swimming across a river after being released back into the wild.
According to a recent Environment Ministry report, India's leopard population is stable at around 13,874 individuals, with Madhya Pradesh having the highest number.
