Mumbai: Paralyzed leopard cub back on its feet after massage, physio sessions

MUMBAI: A female leopard cub, which was left paralyzed after a road accident, has shown miraculous recovery. The seven-month-old cub has slowly begun to hobble after a month's massage and physiotherapy sessions.


The cub was critically injured after it was hit by a speeding vehicle near Igatpuri last month while it was trying to dart across the road to join its mother. The accident left the young cub paralyzed, and her chances of recovery seemed bleak then, said Dr Ajay Deshmukh, senior veterinarian at Wildlife SOS.

Forest officials carted the wild cat to Wildlife SOS Leopard Rescue Centre at Junnar, near Pune, where it has been undergoing treatment and learning to walk once again.

An x-ray had revealed spinal injuries which had caused complete limb paralysis. "It was wheeled in lying down. All its four limbs were paralyzed and had gone stiff. There was damage to the nerves around its cervical region. There was no blood supply," Dr Deshmukh told TOI.

"But the leopard was too young and so we were hopeful of its recovery," he added.That's when massage therapy was started. A rustic cot-like structure was cobbled up using wood logs so that the cub could be propped up in a sitting position. "She was given three massages a day during which her limbs would be stretched out. We also massaged her spine," Dr Deshmukh said, adding that a course of injections was also administered to activate the nerves.