_{The female leopard cat cub at the WTI-JTEF Wildlife Rescue Centre, Diphu}

Karbi Anglong, Assam, June 15, 2016: A female leopard cat cub rescued at the village of Chutu Metikhola in the southern range of the Karbi Anglong district of Assam, was admitted to Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund’s (JTEF) Wildlife Rescue Centre in Diphu on June 13.

Binen Sangma, the headman of Chutu Metikhola, had discovered the cub playing with a domestic cat in his backyard on June 10. He did not disturb it at the time, but when it returned the following day with its mother still nowhere in sight, he decided to rescue it and hand it over to the nearby Kheroni Range Forest Office, which in turn informed the Wildlife Rescue Centre.

The WTI-JTEF rescue team, led by veterinarian Dr Daoharu Baro, tried to locate the cub’s mother with the assistance of the villagers. The cub was even kept overnight in a safe basket-type enclosure at the village, in a place where the mother could easily locate it. However, when it became apparent that the mother was no longer in the vicinity, the cub was removed to the Wildlife Rescue Centre at Diphu.

“The cub is a female, about one month old and in good physical condition”, Dr Baro said later. “There are no external injuries, but it has had a bit of a scare, having been handled by people. It needs to be isolated for a couple of days and should be fine after that.”