The leopard cub found walking in the rain in Mumbai was rescued
A leopard cub was seen walking in the rain on a street in Mumbai's Aarey this evening. The cub that appeared lost and separated from its mother was trying to enter a tin shed for shelter. Its fur was covered in wet mud.
Some people on seeing the leopard cub called in a group of animal rescuers. They picked up the cub and took it to safety.
Visuals show animal rescue staff holding the cub wrapped in a warm blanket. Locals said some police officers also came to give any help they can and coordinate the rescue.
By late evening the cub looked calm in the blanket in visuals shared by the rescuers.
Aarey is an area in Mumbai covered with a vast swathe of green and home to a wide variety of animals and birds. It is the last few remaining green spaces in the financial and entertainment capital.
In September last year, the Maharashtra government decided to reserve 600 acre in Aarey, near Sanjay Gandhi National Park in suburban Mumbai, as a forest and conserve the area.
The rescuers with the leopard cub in Mumbai's Aarey
The proposed car shed in Aarey had led to a bitter row between environmental activists and the then BJP-ruled Maharashtra government, which wanted to cut down 2,700 trees to build the shed.
The leopard cub rescued from Mumbai's Aarey sleeps in a blanket
Incidents of leopards straying into apartments have been reported several times on the outskirts of Mumbai. Environmentalists put the blame on unchecked development eating into the habitat of leopards and other animals.