Golaghat, January 30, 2016: Amidst beaming faces and clicking cameras, a sub-adult female clouded leopard that was rescued by villagers in Assam sprinted back to the forest after recovering from a surgery performed by IFAW- WTI veterinarians at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) in Kaziranga National Park.

The female sub-adult clouded leopard was admitted to CWRC from Golaghat Forest Division of Assam 10 days ago in a severely injured state. She was found by villagers, who handed her over to the Forest Department at Merapani Range in the Golaghat district of Assam. Under severe stress and in extreme pain caused by a puncture wound and hernia on the right side of her abdomen and an injured tongue, this elusive animal was taken in for treatment followed by surgery.

The IFAW-WTI veterinarians, Dr Panjit Basumatary and Dr Tarique Anowar, conducted the surgery after which the animal was kept a special room for post-operative care and treatment.

“The tongue injury with clotted blood in the oral cavity and puncture wound on right abdominal region indicated that she was a victim of some attack,” said Dr Panjit Basumatary who performed the surgery on the animal.

As the wound healed and the animal regained her wild instincts, it was decided to release this smallest of the big cats close to its place of rescue. The release was planned in consultation with the Golaghat Forest Division (Territorial) for January 28. The animal was micro-chipped at CWRC during her health examination prior to release.

Appreciating the sincere efforts of the IFAW- WTI team at CWRC, Dr C Muthu Kumarvel, IFS, DFO, Golaghat, said, “Happy to note that the clouded leopard is released back successfully along Assam- Nagaland border in Merapani area after its rescue and treatment.”

The joint team of forest officials led by K M Abharna, IFS, ACF from Golaghat division (T); and Arun Hazarika, Forest Beat Officer, Merapani, Golaghat; along with the CWRC team led by Dr Panjit Basumtary took the lead to release the cat in its own territory.

The release site is connected to the forest landscape of Nagaland touching Yangri River of Merapani forest reserve in Assam-Nagaland border, which is the nearest suitable area to release the animal.

Dr Panjit Basumatary, who has been taking care of the clouded leopard, was elated that the team could send her back to where she was rescued from the wild. “I hope she will survive in nature without such incidents in future. She will be monitored by Assam and Nagaland forest staff jointly,” he said.

IFAW- WTI has handled seven cases of clouded leopards in Assam, five of them originating from the Western Assam area near Manas NP. Two pairs of clouded leopards were successfully rehabilitated and released while a male is currently awaiting release. In 2010, a sub-adult cub was reported to be displaced in Silonijan and the IFAW-WTI team at CWRC provided necessary in situ intervention and released it within a day. This is the first case of a release following surgical intervention of this elusive big cat, giving the IFAW-WTI veterinarians more reasons to smile.