Four Cheetah Cubs Found Dead at Kuno National Park

SHEOPUR, Madhya Pradesh — Four cheetah cubs born to female cheetah KGP-12 were found dead Tuesday morning at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district, marking a setback for India’s cheetah reintroduction project.

Forest officials suspect the cubs may have been killed by a wild predator. The cubs were born April 11 and were about a month old.

A monitoring team discovered the bodies near the den site during routine tracking in the Sheopur forest area, the Cheetah Field Director at Kuno said.

Officials said the same team had seen all four cubs alive Monday evening, making the deaths sudden.

The Field Director of Project Cheetah said in a statement Tuesday that the cubs’ bodies were partially eaten, suggesting an attack by a carnivorous animal.

“The exact cause of death will be confirmed only after post-mortem reports are received,” the statement said.

Officials said the mother, KGP-12, is safe and healthy and remains under close watch by forest staff.

“Following the incident, surveillance and patrolling in the area have been intensified,” the statement said.

Monitoring teams have also increased vigilance around other cheetahs and cubs in the park.

Forest officials said protecting newborn cubs in open forest remains one of the toughest challenges for the project. Kuno’s habitat also supports leopards, hyenas and jackals, all of which can pose a threat to young cubs unable to defend themselves.

The deaths came a day after Chief Minister Mohan Yadav released two female cheetahs into the wild at Kuno as part of efforts to expand the park’s free-ranging cheetah population.

With the deaths of the four cubs, Kuno National Park now has 50 cheetahs. Of those, 33 were born in India under the breeding program.

Three more cheetahs are currently at Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, bringing India’s total cheetah population to 53.

India launched Project Cheetah in September 2022 after cheetahs were declared extinct in the country in 1952. The first batch was brought from Namibia, followed by cheetahs from South Africa. Since then, Kuno has recorded several litters, marking progress for the reintroduction effort. (Source: IANS)