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Gorewada leopard cubs find patrons

Nagpur: Prominent citizens of Nagpur have adopted three of the four leopard cubs, now at Gorewada rescue centre after being abandoned by their mother.

The 1.5-month-old cubs— two males and two females— were brought to Gorewada from Akola on July 16 when their mother refused to accept them.

Of these, two female and a male cub have been adopted by paying Rs 50,000 for each by Dr Ayushi Ashish Deshmukh, Dr Roshan Bhiwapurkar, and Amit Panchmatiya.

The money will be spent on upkeep of the cubs.

Dr Bhiwapurkar, a laparoscopic surgeon, said, “I read about it in TOI and approached Gorewada through a RFO, who is my patient. I’m an animal lover since childhood and always care for animals in distress. I have adopted a couple of stray dogs too.”

“I have named the female cub after princess Diana wishing she lives a royal life. I will adopt her for life, though scheme is for one year only,” he said.

Dr Deshmukh has named the female cub she adopted as Hunter, while Panchmatiya has named the male cub as Mufasa after the Lion King character. One of the siblings is still awaiting a patron.

Dr Deshmukh said, “The animal is a gorgeous species and a great hunter and hence the name. I adopted a female as they are more vulnerable.”

FDCM divisional manager Nandkishore Kale said, “The adoption scheme was started as per Central Zoo Authority (CZA) guidelines in 2013. The idea is to sensitize people about wildlife protection and education.”

Kale said there are nine tigers, 23 adult leopards, and 10 sloth bears in Gorewada. People can go for monthly as well as yearly adoption. “For tigers, monthly subscription is Rs 30,000 and yearly is Rs 3.5 lakh. For leopards, it’s Rs 13,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh and for bear Rs 20,000 and Rs 75,000,” said Kale.

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