COIMBATORE: Officials of the Forest department rescued a black leopard cub from a residential area near Marudhamalai foothills in Coimbatore on Wednesday.

In the early hours, an adult leopard, along with its cub, entered Leprosy Colony, where it abandoned its cub in an unoccupied house and moved away. The neighbours, who heard continuous growls, checked the house and noticed the cub inside.

Acting on information from them, a forest team led by G Vijayakumar, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) of Coimbatore Forest Division, and V Thirumurugan, Forest Range Officer, visited the spot and rescued the cub.

The cub, aged around six months, was shifted to a cage, and efforts were initiated to reunite the cub with its mother in the forest area. The officials heard loud growls while releasing the cub in the nearby forest area, indicating that the mother was prowling in the same locality.

A team has been deployed to monitor whether the adult leopard returns to take back its cub. Officials have ensured minimal human presence to ensure that the cub reunites with its mother without any hindrance. Black leopards are rare and are caused by a genetic condition called melanism, which causes excess black pigmentation.