Born a month ago, 4 cheetah cubs found dead in Kuno, bodies partially eaten

Days after celebrations around India's cheetah project gathered momentum at Kuno, forest teams stumbled upon a grim discovery near a den site that has once again raised questions over survival challenges in the wild.

In Short

• Four cheetah cubs found dead near den in Kuno National Park
• Predation by wild animal suspected, post-mortem pending
• Mother cheetah safe, area under close watch

A month after they were born in the forests of Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, four cheetah cubs were found dead on Tuesday morning near their den site, dealing a fresh blow to India’s ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme.

Forest officials said the carcasses of the cubs, born to female cheetah KGP12 on April 11, were discovered partially eaten by the park’s monitoring team near the den area in Sheopur territorial division around 6.30 am on May 12.

The cubs had last been seen alive on the evening of May 11.

PREDATION SUSPECTED

According to officials, initial findings suggest the cubs may have been attacked by another wild animal.

“Around 6.30 am today, four cubs - born to female cheetah KGP12 on April 11 - were found dead with carcasses partially eaten by the monitoring team near the den site in Sheopur territorial division,” an official said.

“The death of these cubs appears to have been caused due to predation by another animal,” the official added.

Authorities said the exact cause of death would only be confirmed after post-mortem examinations and a detailed investigation.

Officials also said the mother cheetah, KGP12, was safe and healthy, and the area continues to remain under close surveillance.

SETBACK AFTER DAYS OF CELEBRATION

The deaths came just days after celebrations linked to Project Cheetah had created an atmosphere of excitement at Kuno National Park.

On May 10, coinciding with Mother’s Day celebrations, park authorities released a short film featuring female cheetahs and their cubs. A day later, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav released two female cheetahs brought from Botswana from their enclosures into the open forest.

The discovery of the four dead cubs the very next morning left park officials shaken.

INDIA NOW HAS 53 CHEETAHS

Following the deaths, officials said India’s total cheetah population now stands at 53.

Of these, 50 cheetahs are currently housed at Kuno National Park, including 33 born in India. Another three cheetahs are at Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary.

“All the surviving cheetahs are healthy and doing well,” an official said.

India’s cheetah reintroduction programme began on September 17, 2022, when eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia to Kuno. In 2023, 12 more cheetahs arrived from South Africa, while another group of nine cheetahs, six females and three males, were brought from Botswana in February this year.

- Ends
With inputs from Khemraj Dubey