NEW DELHI: The Union Government is concerned about the death of a 19-month-old male Cheetah (KNG22) in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh, from firearm pellet injuries.
In response, the Centre has sent a high-level team to investigate the incident, highlighting the importance of Project Cheetah and the need for strong protection of the reintroduced Big Cat population.
Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has constituted the central team consists of the Inspector General of Forests from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Additional Director of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), and the Regional Deputy Director of the WCCB.
The team will collaborate with state’s team to investigate the cause of cheetah’s death. The team has been assigned the task of thoroughly investigating the circumstances surrounding the cheetah's death, examining all available evidence and working closely with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department to ensure prompt and decisive action.
The cheetah, an offspring of Cheetah Nirva, was found injured on October 25, 2026, in the territorial forests of Morena, outside the protected area of Kuno National Park.
According to the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, the cheetah was rescued from the Sheopur Territorial Forest Division the same day and received intensive veterinary care and emergency surgery at a facility in Jabalpur. During the surgery, five firearm pellets were removed from its body.
Unfortunately, despite medical intervention, the cheetah succumbed to its injuries on October 27, 2026. Medical examinations confirmed multiple internal injuries associated with the retrieved firearm pellets.
In response to this incident, the State Government has already established a Special Task Force (STF) consisting of Forest and Police officers to investigate. The MoEFCC’s team sent will collaborate with state authorities.
The team will also review the implementation of security protocols as well as the monitoring and protection measures in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The findings and recommendations from this central team will be submitted to the Ministry for further direction to the State Government and field officials.
Wildlife activist Ajay Dube, based in Madhya Pradesh, has accused the state’s forest department of failing to protect a radio-collared cheetah. He raised similar concerns in the past regarding the deaths of radio-collared leopards and hyenas.
Dube stated, “The Field Director and Divisional Forest Officer of Kuno National Park did not take action regarding the radio-collared leopard that was tracked in Kuno and Sheopur.” He added, “I demanded action against the forest department at that time. My fear has now come true, as the cheetah has been poached.”