Reunion with the mother: a successful rehabilitation strategy for displaced wild Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) kittens

Ajay Deshmukh,M.v Baijuraj M.V Baijuraj,Mahendra Dhore,Yaduraj Khadpekar

doi:10.11609/jott.6466.12.16.17245-17251

Abstract

One of the common challenges for wildlife rehabilitators and conservationists is dealing with displaced young animals, needing intervention and help. Most commonly, such displaced animals are moved to zoos or rescue centers where they are hand-raised. 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. There are few reports on such reunion efforts. We report successful reunions of 26 Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus kittens with their mothers in the period of six years in the Junnar Forest Division, Maharashtra, India. The kittens found by the villagers were examined for injuries or signs of sickness, and physiological parameters were recorded. If found healthy, they were placed in a plastic basket at the same location in the evening of the same day for a reunion with their mothers. In all cases, the mother cat was in the vicinity and took the kittens away after a brief period. The success of reunion effort was confirmed by direct observation or vocalization of the kittens combined with the presence of pugmarks of an adult cat at the site, or just by the presence and appearance of pugmarks. The results of our efforts show that displaced kittens of small wild cats can be successfully reunited with their mothers, provided that the time gap between separation and reunion effort is minimized.

Highlights

Displacement and separation of young animals from their mothers is not an uncommon occurrence in the wild
Handraised animals have been successfully rehabilitated in the wild such as in case of Asian Elephants Elephas maximus (Perera et al 2018), Greater One-horned Rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis (Barman et al 2014), Common Wombat Vombatus ursinus (Saran et al 2011), and Giant Otter Pteronura brasiliensis (McTurk & Spelman 2005)
Once the kittens were found to be healthy through this examination, they were left undisturbed in the basket in a quiet area

Summary

Introduction

Displacement and separation of young animals from their mothers is not an uncommon occurrence in the wild. Handraised animals have been successfully rehabilitated in the wild such as in case of Asian Elephants Elephas maximus (Perera et al 2018), Greater One-horned Rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis (Barman et al 2014), Common Wombat Vombatus ursinus (Saran et al 2011), and Giant Otter Pteronura brasiliensis (McTurk & Spelman 2005). Another option that is less frequently followed, is the immediate or soonest possible reunion of the displaced young animal with its mother. In our knowledge organised efforts for the reunion of cubs or kittens of wild cats with their mothers have not been reported so far

Methods

Results

Conclusion