4 min readSuratUpdated: Mar 10, 2026 02:40 AM IST
DURLABH PATEL (72) was busy with the work of harvesting a standing crop of sugarcane in his field in Navsari when something the farm labourers told him made him stop in his tracks – They had spotted three leopard cubs in a shelter made of sugarcane bushes. He immediately urged the farm labourers to “pause” the work until further notice.
Three days later, Patel noticed that the leopard cubs had been taken away from the spot by their mother and the sugarcane harvesting work resumed from the fourth day. Patel also ensured that the labourers were duly paid their wages for the three days.
The farm labourers had spotted three leopard cubs in a shelter made of sugarcane bushes. (Express Photo)
Mother leopard took away all the cubs in next days
A resident of Bodavank village in Chikhli taluka of Navsari district, Patel was preparing to harvest the sugarcane crop for the past few days. According to local sources, a few days ago, the labourers spotted the three leopard cubs and informed him. Patel stopped the harvesting work and waited a day, in the hope that the mother leopard may return to the spot and take her cubs. The next day, Patel contacted the Chikhli Forest Department office and reported the incident. A team of forest officials, along with senior members of the wildlife science department of the Navsari Agricultural University – Dr Navaz Dahya and his team – reached the spot. Dahya soon installed two strap cameras without disturbing the leopard shelter.
Dahya said, “The cameras were kept to track the movement of the mother leopard, and we were also worried that the leopard might become a victim of some other animal. The leopard came the next day and took away two leopard cubs, and on the third day, March 7, she took the remaining one cub too. The cubs are around 15 days old and they could not open their eyes yet.”
The next day, Patel contacted the Chikhli Forest Department office and reported the incident. A team of forest officials, along with senior members of the wildlife science department of the Navsari Agricultural University – Dr Navaz Dahya and his team – reached the spot. (Express Photo)
On Sunday, members of an NGO, Astral Foundation of Ahmedabad, working in the research, awareness, and conservation of animals, reached Chikhli Taluka and felicitated Patel, presenting him with a certificate.
Patel told The Indian Express on Monday, “I own two bighas of land, where I grow sugarcane. There are 10 labourers working in my field, cutting sugarcane. Sightings of leopards in our village and neighbouring villages are common. I have great respect for leopards. When one of the labourers informed me about the three leopard cubs, I contacted forest officials… with the intention that the leopard cubs should not be harmed in any way. I kept my labourers waiting for three days, hoping that the mother leopard would take the cubs away. I paid the labourers their daily wages for those three days when they did not work. I also did not want the mother leopard to be separated from her cubs.”
