Watch: Leopard Cubs Found In Maharashtra Field Reunited With Mother

A pair of 45-day-old leopard cubs was found in a sugarcane field in a village in Maharashtra's Pune district on Thursday. The animals were medically examined by a veterinarian of non-profit Wildlife SOS before being released into the wild.

According to Wildlife SOS, the cubs were found by farmers while harvesting the sugarcane crop. Veterinarian Dr Nikhil Bangar conducted a medical examination for ticks and injuries on the male cubs.

After they were declared healthy, the cubs were reunited with their mother.

Visuals show the mother leopard cautiously checking the box in which the cubs were kept. Unable to open the loosely-fitted lid, the leopard pushed the box onto the ground. She then took the cubs out of the box by gently holding them in its jaws by their necks.

"The mother must have been searching for her cubs, as it only took 20 minutes for her to find them. We can only imagine her relief on finding them safe and sound. Such reunions are of great importance as they curb conflict situations. If female leopards are unable to locate their cubs, it is natural for them to turn defensive or aggressive and they pose an immediate threat to humans in close proximity," Dr Nikhil Bangar, Wildlife Veterinary Officer, Wildlife SOS, said.

"To survive in the wild and learn the skills of survival, it is crucial for leopard cubs to be reared by their mothers for the first two years of their lives. To date, Wildlife SOS has assisted the Forest Department in successfully reuniting over 80 cubs that were lost, injured, or separated from their mothers," Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said.