It is now 4 weeks to the day since the leopard Dipnani was transferred to a restricted area rehabilitation zone. For security reasons information will be rarely made public but this image, along with many others on remote security cameras, has absolutely warmed my heart. Dipnani has had a difficult time so this month has been crucial. She is in isolation with absolutely minimal human contact. Yesterday I installed a new feed cage, now attached to her much larger night den. The feed cage allows staff to place food and water with no visual contact with the young leopard.
Dipnani is a feisty character, she absolutely hates people, so when I opened these images to see her relaxed demeanour, it honestly meant a lot to me, the last four weeks have not been easy for her or me, people who know me know I care for these animals very deeply and will do whatever it takes. The facial injuries Dipnani suffered have all but healed and overall her health is now good. There is a long way to go but today has given me the confidence that the Phase 2 Hunting Area can be attached to her den before monsoon.
There are people to thank for this, you know who you are. Dipnani is an extremely important cat because the lessons learned from previous rehabs/rewildings can be used. It is about constant learning, total dedication, future proofing and above all duty of care. The leopard has missed out on many of these things, well now a small band of leopard dedicated people are changing that. I'm off to Kathmandu now for a few days for several reasons, not the least of which is to add to impetus to improve the protection status of the leopard.
Many things to do... but look at that cat on her path to freedom, it's worth it. Jai Chituwa.
