BHOPAL: A 19-month-old India-born male cheetah has died from gunshot injuries in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district, more than four years after the launch of the ambitious project to reintroduce cheetahs into the wild in India.
The semi-adult cub, KNG22, was the second generation of cheetahs born under the project. It is the first reported case of a cheetah under the project dying from gunshot injuries.
The male cub, born to South African female Nirva, was rescued in critical condition from the forests of Sheopur district, which borders Kuno National Park (KNP), on Sunday. It was shifted to the park’s medical facility before being moved to the Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology at Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University in Jabalpur for detailed investigation and intensive treatment.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Dr Sameeta Rajora said, “The 19-months-old male cheetah, KNG22, which was rescued on Sunday in critical condition from the forests in Sheopur Territorial Forest Division (neighbouring KNP), was shifted to the department of veterinary surgery and radiology at Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University (NDVSU-Jabalpur) for detailed investigation and intensive treatment.”
“A subsequent CT scan revealed multiple foreign bodies causing damage to his internal organs, musculoskeletal system and nervous system. Emergency surgery was performed, during which five firearm pellets were recovered from his body. Despite surgical intervention and sustained efforts by the veterinary team, the male cheetah could not be saved and died on Tuesday morning,” she added.
Following the death, the Madhya Pradesh government has constituted a Special Task Force comprising forest and police officers to investigate the incident. The pellets were reportedly fired from a Bharmar gun, a traditional, single-shot, muzzle-loading country-made firearm used by villagers in the region to protect crops from wild animals such as wild boars.
The cheetah population in India now stands at 58, including 52 in Kuno National Park in Sheopur district, four in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur and two in Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve in the Bundelkhand region.
The killing has raised concerns as it occurred in the same landscape reportedly used by operatives of an inter-state leopard poaching racket busted in July. Investigators are examining whether the firing was linked to fears of livestock losses, deliberate poaching or attempts by forest land encroachers to drive away cheetahs amid increased forest department surveillance.
The inquiry will also examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Two other free-ranging cheetahs had recently killed two cow calves in a neighbouring forest area. The incident has also raised questions about the role of Cheetah Mitras, volunteers and villagers trained to sensitise local communities about the project and discourage harm to the animals.
Meanwhile, Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dube has written to Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh, the member secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Additional Director General of Wildlife, seeking a CBI probe.
“I’ve repeatedly cautioned higher authorities about continuous administrative oversight, an insensitive approach, and severe negligence on the part of the Field Director (FD), Kuno, and the Division Forest Officer (DFO), Kuno. This recent shooting incident confirms the extreme vulnerability of the monitored wildlife and exposes the inadequacy of the protection and security measures claimed by local forest officials.”
“This is a matter of high-level investigation as to how poachers obtained the location of the radio-collared cheetah, how they managed to reach the restricted area with weapons for poaching, and where the rescue team tasked with tracking the cheetah 24/7 was located. Having caught poaching gangs in the forests of Sheopur, Shivpuri, and Kuno in June 2025 and July 2026, why were security measures not implemented by learning lessons from those incidents? What action has been taken against the forest officials responsible for criminal negligence regarding the poaching of leopards in the cheetah landscape across Kuno, Sheopur, and Shivpuri by these gangs?”
Dube demanded a CBI inquiry into the shooting, alleged local intelligence failures and administrative negligence. He also sought the immediate removal of the Kuno Field Director and DFO to ensure an impartial inquiry, along with stronger security protocols and physical monitoring to protect the remaining cheetahs.