Four cheetah cubs born just a month ago were found dead at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on Tuesday morning, officials said. The cubs, born on April 11 to female cheetah KGP12, were discovered near their den site in the Sheopur territorial division with their carcasses partially eaten.
As per the reports of NDTV, officials said that the cubs were last seen alive on the evening of May 11. A monitoring team found the bodies around 6.30 am during routine surveillance. Initial findings suggest the cubs may have been killed by another wild animal. Forest officials said the exact cause of death will be confirmed only after post-mortem examinations and a detailed investigation.
Predation suspected in the deaths
According to the reports of NDTV, officials believe the cubs may have fallen prey to another predator in the forest area. An official statement was quoted as saying by NDTV, “The death of these cubs appears to have been caused due to predation by another animal.” Forest authorities also mentioned that deep wounds on the carcasses indicated a likely leopard attack.
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The mother cheetah, KGP12, was found safe and healthy near the area. Forest teams continue to monitor her movement and the surrounding region closely. Authorities said the cubs had been under round-the-clock observation without human interference before the incident occurred.
Setback for Project Cheetah
The deaths come as a setback for India’s ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme. The cubs were seen as significant because they were born in the wild after the reintroduction of African cheetahs to India. As per the reports of NDTV, Officials had recently celebrated the growing cheetah population at Kuno.
Following the deaths, India’s cheetah count has come down to 53. Officials said 50 cheetahs are currently housed at Kuno National Park, including 33 born in India, while three are at the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. “All the surviving cheetahs are healthy and doing well,” an official said.
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India restarted its cheetah reintroduction effort in September 2022 when eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia. Additional cheetahs later arrived from South Africa and Botswana as part of Project Cheetah.
