Good news for animal conservationists: 26 wild rusty-spotted kittens reunited with mothers
PIC: WILDLIFE SOS
Conducted over a period of six years, the efforts of the conservationists to rehabilitate the rusty-spotted feline species have been published in an international journal on Dec 14
A team of wildlife rehabilitators and researchers has a piece of good news foranimal conservationists . The team has successfully managed to reunite 26 wild rusty-spotted kittens with their mothers over a period of six years in the Junnar forest division in the state.
Their efforts, part of wild animal conservation group Wildlife SOS, have found a special mention in a research paper in the Journal of Threatened Taxa published on December 14.
This is the first report from India on multiple reunion efforts undertaken for this feline species.
Going by the scientific name of Prionailurus rubiginosus, the rustyspotted cat is the smallest cat species in Asia, usually found in India,Nepal and Sri Lanka .
All the kittens were reunited with their mothers between 2014 and 2020 in the Junnar forest division inPune district.
The researchers involved in the project — Ajay Deshmukh, Yaduraj Khadpekar, Mahendra Dhore and MV Baijuraj — have spent almost two decades in leopard conservation and conflict management in the Junnar forest area.
Speaking about the reunion operation, Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder, Wildlife SOS, said, “The particular cat species is very rare to spot in the wild, considered to be a hidden jewel in the Indian biodiversity circuit. We have had the opportunity to successfully rescue these kittens and reunite them with their mothers following the same reunion model that is applied in bringing together leopard cubs and their mothers.”
“One of the common challenges for wildlife rehabilitators and conservationists is dealing with displaced young animals, who are in need of intervention and help. In some cases, the hand-raised animals are rehabilitated back in the wild following suitable protocols. For young animals that are not injured or ill, however, reuniting them with their mothers in the wild might be the best option,” added Deshmukh.
All 26 kittens found in the sugarcane fields were around a couple of months old. They were reunited with their mothers through 18 reunion drives, which mostly took place in early summer or early winter months during the sugarcane harvesting season.
Speaking on the drive, Jayarame Gowda, deputy conservator of forests, Junnar, said, “All reunions were carried out in association with the state forest department. There is a large population of rusty-spotted cats across Junnar, Ambegaon and Shirur, which provide favourable conditions for their habitation. In 2020, we rescued and reunited three such kittens with their mothers.”
A team of wildlife rehabilitators and researchers has a piece of good news for
Their efforts, part of wild animal conservation group Wildlife SOS, have found a special mention in a research paper in the Journal of Threatened Taxa published on December 14.
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This is the first report from India on multiple reunion efforts undertaken for this feline species.
Going by the scientific name of Prionailurus rubiginosus, the rustyspotted cat is the smallest cat species in Asia, usually found in India,
All the kittens were reunited with their mothers between 2014 and 2020 in the Junnar forest division in
The 26 wild kittens were spotted in sugarcane fields and reunited with their mothers over 18 drives conducted during harvesting seasons in the state
The researchers involved in the project — Ajay Deshmukh, Yaduraj Khadpekar, Mahendra Dhore and MV Baijuraj — have spent almost two decades in leopard conservation and conflict management in the Junnar forest area.
Speaking about the reunion operation, Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder, Wildlife SOS, said, “The particular cat species is very rare to spot in the wild, considered to be a hidden jewel in the Indian biodiversity circuit. We have had the opportunity to successfully rescue these kittens and reunite them with their mothers following the same reunion model that is applied in bringing together leopard cubs and their mothers.”
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“One of the common challenges for wildlife rehabilitators and conservationists is dealing with displaced young animals, who are in need of intervention and help. In some cases, the hand-raised animals are rehabilitated back in the wild following suitable protocols. For young animals that are not injured or ill, however, reuniting them with their mothers in the wild might be the best option,” added Deshmukh.
All 26 kittens found in the sugarcane fields were around a couple of months old. They were reunited with their mothers through 18 reunion drives, which mostly took place in early summer or early winter months during the sugarcane harvesting season.
Speaking on the drive, Jayarame Gowda, deputy conservator of forests, Junnar, said, “All reunions were carried out in association with the state forest department. There is a large population of rusty-spotted cats across Junnar, Ambegaon and Shirur, which provide favourable conditions for their habitation. In 2020, we rescued and reunited three such kittens with their mothers.”
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