They were discovered by farmers and agricultural workers engaged in harvesting the crop

Three leopard cubs were found in a sugarcane field at Kallahalli in Jayapura hobli of Mysore district, on Friday.

They were discovered by farmers and agricultural workers engaged in harvesting the crop, and the Department of Forests was alerted. They were found about a km away from the place where a female leopard was found dead on a tree last Friday.

Though there was speculation that the cubs could have belonged to the dead leopard, it was unlikely to have survived for a week without its mother, according to forest officials. “As per the protocol we keep a watch on the cubs for a few days and ensure there is no disturbance in the vicinity. The mother general tends to return to the cubs and they leave the place together,” explained V. Karikalan, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Mysore.

If the mother did not return even after two days, the department would take custody of the cubs and shift them either to the Mysore zoo or the Bannerghatta animal and rescue and rehabilitation centre.