Leopard cub rescued from hencoop in Kerala’s Wayanad released back into forest

Leopard cub rescued from hencoop in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala released back into the wild by officials.

A leopard cub that was rescued by officials of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary on June 25 night from a hencoop at Kudukki on the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border was released into the wild in the early hours of June 26.

The male cub, aged around six months, was captured by a team led by assistant warden I.P. Sanjay Kumar from a hencoop of Munduparambil Kuttappan, a poultry farmer at Kudukki near Cheeral in the Muthanga range of the sanctuary in Wayanad district of Kerala.

The team rushed to the spot after the farmer alerted the officials around 9.30 p.m. on June 25.

It took nearly three hours to rescue the animal from the coop by using a net, said Mr. Kumar.

As many as 16 forest personnel, including 10 members of the rapid response team of the Forest department, took part in the operation.

After the capture, the cub was examined by forest veterinary surgeon Ajesh Mohandas.

Later, they released the animal back into the wild after it the cub was found to be healthy.