Post News Network
Sorada, Jan 10: Forest department officials rescued a leopard cub from a quarry near Batasasan village under Badagad forest limits in Ganjam district Sunday.
The cub, a newborn, was brought to Badagad forest office where forest guards Sudhir Kumar Pattanaik and Subodh Behera fed it milk, forest ranger Dillip Kumar Dash said.
After reports surfaced, local residents thronged the place to catch a glimpse of the cub.
Fear was quite visible on their faces as they claimed that the incident could endanger their lives in case the mother leopard strays into the area in search of the cub. The rescue of the cub has also strengthened the villagers’ claim about the presence of leopards in the area.
The matter came to fore after some villagers noticed the cub and informed local MLA Purna Chandra Swain who in turn alerted South Ghumusar divisional forest officer (DFO) BK Acharya.
The cub was found in good health, Dash said, adding it will be handed over to veterinarians in Bhubaneswar who might send it to Nandankanan Zoological Park after conducting a health checkup. PNN
