A five-year-old leopardess, the mother of three cubs which were found at a sugarcane field at Kallanakere in K.R. Pet taluk on Thursday, was found trapped in a cage at the same spot on Saturday.
The mother leopard and its cubs are healthy and they will be released near Muthathi or elsewhere into the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, Forest Department officials told The Hindu.
The leopardess and its partner were said to be prowling in the area over the past few months. It had delivered three cubs recently. The leopardess and her cubs had taken shelter at a sugarcane field belonging to B. Devaraje Gowda. Workers hired by Mr. Gowda to harvest the sugarcane crop rescued the cubs as no adult leopard was found. Later, the incident was brought to the notice of the Forest Department.
Though the Forest Department took the cubs into its custody, it left them at the same spot anticipating the return of the adult leopards.
A cage was placed and villagers were strictly alerted not to disturb the cubs. Finally, the leopardess walked into the cage after Friday midnight, a forest officer told The Hindu. According to him, leopard cubs can survive without food for at least a week and leopardess, in such instances, generally return to the place to take care of the cubs. Hence, the Forest Department had not shifted the cubs to a rescue/animal care centre.