On the 16th of August, at Nandgaon Sado, Igatpuri , four cubs of a leopardess were discovered in an isolated hut amidst farms The farmer who used the shed to store his farming tools suddenly stumbled upon the cubs and was taken aback. Being aware of wildlife rules, he immediately informed the forest department. The forest department reached the spot immediately and saw the cubs. On enquiring, they were informed that a leopardess had been spotted. Soon word spread amongst the villagers and they panicked. The forest department called our team Eco echo, Nashik the next day to come and assess the situation and mitigate the human-wildlife conflict and ensure the safety of leopardess, cubs, and humans. Our team departed immediately and reached the spot. We were briefed by the forest officials and a few villagers. The villagers had never encountered a leopard before in this area. The hut stood isolated and was surrounded by hills with good forest cover. We approached the hut slowly and confirmed that the mother leopardess was not present. We entered the shed cautiously and got to work. We placed remotely operated 360-degree cameras and also checked on the health of the cubs without touching or disturbing them. We then waited for the mother leopardess to show up on our cameras. Within an hour, to our delight, the mother leopardess arrived. She had managed to hunt down a few chickens from a nearby farm. We were amazed to see such footage of a mother leopardess nursing her Four cubs, with such ease and comfort in the shed. Once we confirmed that the mother is attending the cubs, our next action was to secure the premises and pacify the villagers and carry out awareness sessions. The villagers reciprocated very well and took this positively and ensured complete support. The forest officials placed guards round the clock to ensure the area is not disturbed or frequented by humans. We understood that the leopardess had moved the cubs in this shed from the adjoining hills to take shelter from the sudden increase in rains. We then had to wait and watch till the leopardess and her cubs move back again into the forest and until then it was our responsibility to ensure their safety. We recorded all the movement and monitored the hut 24 x 7 through our cameras to ensure the safety of cubs, mother leopardess, and villagers. We studied the pattern of the leopardess and entered the hut when she was away to swap the batteries and download all the data. We were well supported by the forest officials and villagers who understood and agreed with our approach. As each day passed by, we saw the cubs being nursed and the farmer losing his chickens. But he was more than happy to support the lives of a family of five. Eventually, our patience prevailed and on the 22nd of August, to our and the villager's delight, the mother Leopardess started shifting her Cubs back
into the forest as the rains had subsided. One by one, she shifted them back into the forest and the hut was cleared. All the officials, villagers, and our team were happy with the outcome. To let one of the most adaptive cats to live amongst us and raise her young was achieved in a peaceful manner. Leopards stray into human habitat in search of food, water or shelter which was in this case. We were stoked by the mother leopardess grit, smartness, and the ease with which she went about in raising her Four cubs and thus mesmerizing all of us. We pray that the five of them remain safe with a pledge that we will be there again whenever needed. We would like to thank the Forest officials of Nashik west and Igatpuri range for their amazing support. This whole event would not have been possible without the support and understanding of the villagers. If this is not coexistence then what is? Hope you like this inspiring story and support animals whenever needed. Thank you.
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