The silent effort to reunite leopard cubs in Junnar with their mothers

Pune: In the sugar cane fields of Maharashtra's Junnar forest division, the most critical wildlife operations begin after sunset. Under the cover of darkness, forest officials quietly return rescued leopard cubs to the spots where they were found, then retreat into the shadows to wait for a mother that may or may not return.Despite being a hotspot for human-animal conflict, Junnar has emerged as one of India's most successful landscapes for leopard cub reunions. According to forest division records, 185 cubs were successfully reunited with their mothers between 2020 and early 2026."This is one of the few places in India where reunions are attempted at this scale with consistent success," said an expert from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). "Every reunion is a race against time, terrain, and wild animal behaviour."While orphaned cubs in many parts of the world are taken into permanent captivity, the Junnar model prioritises the wild. This approach is driven by a unique ecological setting: leopards in Junnar frequently give birth in dense sugar cane fields, which mimic forest undergrowth. During harvest season, farmers often stumble upon hidden cubs, triggering panic.Smita Rajhans, assistant conservator of forest (Junnar), explains that the programme is also a safety necessity. "Female leopards become extremely aggressive when separated from their cubs, often leading to increased attacks on villagers. By reuniting them, we mitigate conflict and ensure the cubs learn essential survival and hunting skills from their mothers."The reunion process is deceptively simple but operationally demanding. After a medical examination, the cub is returned to its original location. Camera traps are installed, and teams withdraw hundreds of meters to avoid scaring off the mother."Leopards are extremely sensitive," noted a wildlife biologist. "If the mother detects human scent or a disturbance, she may abandon the cub entirely." Timing is equally critical; cubs younger than three months are highly vulnerable, and any delay in the reunion drastically reduces their survival chances.Junnar's high success rate is rooted in institutional coordination between the forest department and NGOs like Wildlife SOS, alongside a shift in community behaviour. Villagers now increasingly report sightings to authorities rather than reacting with aggression.While this model is now being replicated in states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, experts caution that it is not a universal fix. "This works in Junnar because of the specific landscape and leopard behavior," a senior forest official said. "In deep forest regions with multiple large predators, the dynamics change, and this model may not be as effective."Nevertheless, for the people and leopards of Junnar, these high-stakes night operations remain a vital template for coexistence rather than confrontation.
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