Spotted & secured

* The cubs had been found without their mother near Middle Vaitarna Lake Tuesday. Spotted by factory workers,rescued by the Shahapur forest division,now being cared for at Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
* A male and a female,they are one month old,measuring barely 30 inches from head to tail and 8 inches in height. Forest officials say their state is “fragile”.
* Factory workers found the cubs in the lake,trying to swim to the shore and being barked at by dogs
* Shahapur officials said they searched in vain for mother’s pugmarks,scat or fur remains. They kept the cubs in a cage at the spot they had been found,but the mother did not return. Anwer Ahmed,range forest officer of Thane,had the cubs transported to SGNP Thursday.
* “They are weak and susceptible to infection,since they are young and haven’t been getting their mother’s milk. Survival at this stage might be difficult but if they tide through this critical month,they can be saved.”
— Vinaya Jangale,SGNP vet
* Now on a diet of cow milk. If fitter in a few days,chicken will follow