: Two striped kittens mistaken for leopard cubs by workers at a cornfield at Malayoorani in the district turned out to be the litter of a jungle cat, forest department officials said.
They said the farmers spotted the kittens and heard them making a different sound and thought they might be that of a leopard and feared the mother could be around.
The farmers' fears were laid to rest after a team of forest departemnt personnel, led by district forest officer Nihir Ranjan rushed to the spot examined the litter and declared they were a few weeks old jungle kittens.
The Gestation for these type of kittens is 63-66 days and is remarkably short for an animal of this size. The kittens would have been born in December and their den must be around, the officials said.
The kittens were later let into the nearby jungle last night.
