Panther Cub found dead near Maruthamalai foothills

A panther cub that strayed into a residential area near the foothills of Maruthamalai in Coimbatore district was found dead on Wednesday, despite efforts by forest officials to rescue it and reunite it with its mother.
Forest officials said a panther along with its cub was spotted in the Leprosy Colony residential area at the foot of Maruthamalai early on Tuesday morning.
The mother panther later moved away, leaving the cub inside an unoccupied house in the locality.
After residents heard the cries of the cub, the Forest Department was alerted. Officials rushed to the spot and safely rescued the cub, placing it in a cage.
As part of attempts to reunite it with the mother panther, the cub was later released in a cave-like location within the nearby forest area and kept under close surveillance.
Officials said movement was noticed in the area around 4 a.m. on Wednesday.
However, when the location was checked around 5 a.m., the cub was found missing, prompting an immediate search operation.
CCTV footage installed for monitoring showed the cub moving away from the release spot around 4.30 a.m.
After an extensive search, forest officials found the cub dead about 300 metres from the release location.
Senior forest officials have been informed, and a post-mortem examination of the panther cub will be conducted on Wednesday to ascertain the cause of death.
The death of the cub after being separated from its mother has caused deep sadness among wildlife enthusiasts and has once again highlighted concerns over increasing human-wildlife interaction in
forest fringe areas near Coimbatore.