Rescued leopard cubs in safe hands

By Dhaneshi YATAWARA

The three leopard cubs rescued from an illegal trade in Karuwalagaswewa in the Puttalam district recently was not just news but a miracle that took place with the blessings of nature.

If the cubs were born two and a half months ago then July 1, the day they were handed over to the Wildlife authorities would be their second birth escaping a tragedy.

Today the three little cubs, all females are in the loving and caring hands of the veterinarians of the National Zoological Gardens, Dehiwala.

Fate of cubs

Like their mother if they grow up in the wild they could have given birth to more cubs to extend their family. Yet caught in the iron clutches of animal poachers the cubs were about to be sold at a high price through animal traffickers. Yet the fate of the little cubs was not so unfortunate .

If elephants are the flagship species of Sri Lanka, leopards would be our strength and superiority. Roaming in the thick jungles leopards attract local and foreign wildlife enthusiasts to the wilderness in search of this precious species of the country. Saving the lives of the three leopard cubs early this month was a miracle for Sri Lanka which is endowed with rich bio-diversity.

Karuwalagaswewa, the area where the cubs were to be illegaly traded borders Sri Lanka's largest wildlife sanctuary, the Wilpattu National Park. Wilpattu is globally renowned as one of the two Sri Lankan wild life parks for this magnificent creature. The other location is the Yala National Park. For the leopards, right to live safely in their natural habitats is crucial for their survival.

"When we received the cubs we assumed they could have been away from the mother for few days less than a week. Luckily, they were slightly dehydrated and they recovered well responding to our treatment," said Veterinary Surgeon, Chandana Jayasinghe of the North Western Wildlife region office of the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The cubs find it difficult to suck milk from the bottle as from their mother. According to veterinarians it could have been a struggle to raise them in a domestic environment since the cubs were more used to the natural environment. "To raise these cubs special treatment and care by professionals are vital and essentially the veterinarians or the animal caretakers should be 100 percent skilful to treat these wild animals," Jayasinghe added.

Since the Zoological Garden in Dehiwala is equipped with facilities to meet such a challenge the Wildlife Department handed over the three cubs to the veterinarians of the zoo. The cubs are a lucky triplet.

The question is how could a priceless wildlife treasure be priced? It is a national treasure and definitely not a personal wealth. The uniqueness of this event is the number of cubs. "We rarely see a leopard mother with three cubs. Mostly we have rescued either one or two cubs," Jayasinghe explained. The leopard mother would have never thought that her uniqueness would bring tragedy to herself and her cuddly little babies. According to animal experts a leopard mother would not leave her cubs and she could be aggressive if the cubs are in danger. A poacher must kill or trap her in order to take the cubs. The trapped leopard mother will be killed for her beautiful skin.

Predator at risk

Across the globe this agile and stealthy predator lives in a variety of habitats including evergreen monsoon forest, arid jungle, low and upper highland forest, rainforest, and wet zone intermediate forests. According to the present nomenclature only nine sub species of leopards are found in world. The Sri Lankan leopard, Panthera pardus kotiya is unique among its own species. Since Carl Linnaeus published his description of leopards in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae in 1758, as many as 27 leopard subspecies were subsequently described by naturalists from 1794 to 1956.

In 1996, according to DNA analysis carried out in the 1990s, only eight subspecies are considered valid. Later analysis revealed a ninth valid subspecies, the Arabian leopard. As scientists believe, because of limited sampling of African leopards, this number might be an underestimation.

The nine subspecies recognised by IUCN are, African leopard which inhabits the sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian leopard that inhabits the Indian subcontinent, Javan leopard inhabiting Java, Indonesia, Arabian leopard which inhabits the Arabian Peninsula, Amur leopard which inhabits the Russian Far East, Korean Peninsula and Northeast China, the north Chinese leopard inhabiting the northern China, Caucasian leopard which was later described as Persian leopard which is found in central Asia: the Caucasus, Turkmenistan and northern Iran, the Indo-Chinese leopard that inhabits mainland Southeast Asia and last but not the least the Sri Lankan leopard.

Transition point

With South Asia identified as transition point for illegal animal trade more threats emerge for these spotted beauties making their lives harder. "To protect the leopard population it is essential to keep them within the forest reserves which we are preserving for the animals," said Dr. Chandrawansa Pathiraja, Director General of the Wildlife Conservation Department. By repairing the existing tanks and building new minor tanks we are making water more abundant for the animals even during the drought. This is important as animals tend to move to water abundant areas that are outside the forest reserve. Thus they are prone to danger", Dr. Pathiraja explained.

Maintaining ecological balance is important for the survival of these carnivores, he added. According to the Director General the Department is taking steps to provide fodder for herbivores identifying the typical grasses and plants they prefer. Saving every animal in the wilderness is crucial for the survival of these top predators.

This endangered stealthy predator needs healthy animals in the forests as the maintenance of the food chain is vital for the survival of the forest eco system.

With peace restored especially in the Northern and Eastern provinces it is essential to educate the resettled communities on how to raise their cattle, grow crops and carry out their livelihood activities without disturbing the natural habitats of the wildlife. Through the eyes of the little cubs understand the fate of their mother and their entire brood. Every citizen is duty bound to protect this unique wealth of the nation.