To be shifted to Bannerghatta Biological Park

Mysore/Mysuru: Forest Department personnel have rescued two leopard cubs, which were found in a sugarcane field at Daripura village in the taluk yesterday, will be shifted to Bannerghatta Biological Park in Bengaluru. 

Jayapura Gram Panchayat Member M. Basavanna said that the cubs were separated from their mother about four days ago and they were found while harvesting sugarcane grown in the field of Mahadevappa.

The matter was brought to the notice of Forest officials and the officials were urged to capture the leopardess and relocate it along with her cubs. But the Forest officials convinced the villagers to allow the cubs to stay at the same place for three days hoping that the leopardess would come back and take them.

Basavanna said that as the leopardess did not come to the spot even after four days, the villagers informed the Forest officials, following which a team of Forest personnel led by their officer M. Arjun, rescued the cubs and told the villagers that the cubs would be shifted to Mysuru Zoo besides asking them not to move around the spot where the cubs were found for a few days.

Basavanna further said that the Forest officials have been requested to trap the leopardess by placing a cage in the sugarcane field to which the Forest officials stated that a cage has been placed already at the nearby Gopalapura following a request from the villagers and added that as there is a huge open space surrounding the spot, it was doubtful that the leopardess would walk into the trap.

Meanwhile, Forest officials Arjun and Mallaiah told Star of Mysore that the leopardess had given birth in the sugarcane field of Mahadevappa about 20 days back and the cubs were found while harvesting sugarcane four days ago, which were brought to our notice.

They further said that they waited for two days for the leopardess to take back the cubs but as the leopardess did not come, the cubs would be shifted to Bannerghatta Biological Park as per instructions from Mysuru Division DCF K. Kamala Karikalan and RFO Girish.