Animal welfare activists and authorities in southern Mexico rescued two jaguar cubs found on their own in a farm field near the Calakmul nature reserve, which is also home to a Mayan ruin site.

The two female cubs were found Oct. 5. It was not clear if their mother had died or abandoned them.

Both cubs weighed about 1.3 pounds (600 grams) and showed symptoms of severe dehydration. They have since grown to about 3.3 pounds (1.5 kilograms).

Mexico's commission for natural protected areas said Monday that it turned the cubs over to experts from two private groups that will raise them with minimal human contact. The cubs will be released back into the wild when they are 8 months old.