This is the heartwarming moment three starving leopard cubs were rescued after being orphaned when their mother died.<br /><br />Farm workers were harvesting crops when they heard the animals whining hungrily from the fruit field in Chumphon, southern Thailand last Wednesday (March 27) morning.<br /><br />The first kitten was discovered shivering in a bush while the other two cubs were hiding behind a boulder. They were estimated to be around two weeks old.<br /><br />Farm owner Jatuporn Pangdamrongpanitch, 39, and his workers said they smelled the body of the dead mother and after finding her immediately began searching for other youngsters.<br /><br />Jatuporn said he carried the orphaned wild animals home because they were very weak and hungry.<br /><br />He said: ‘’The cubs looked very frightened and exhausted like they were running away from something. Luckily, they weren’t afraid of humans and let us carry them.’’ <br /><br />Jatuporn put the cubs in the box to feed them milk, water, and get rid of lice. He later contacted the local wildlife officers for assistance.<br /><br />Officers of the Krom Luang Chumphon Wildlife Sanctuary came to take the wild leopards for a check-up before being handed over to Phang Nga Wildlife Conservation Station for further care.<br /><br />Pornchai Sitthikorn, the Senior Forestry Officer of Krom Luang Chumphon Wildlife Sanctuary, said it was rare to find leopard cubs due to their declining numbers in the wild.<br /><br />He said: ‘’Leopard cats are wild animals that are protected by the law. They are nearly extinct since there are only 50 individuals living in Chumphon."
