Four cheetah cubs born last month at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park were found dead on Tuesday morning, with officials suspecting predation by another wild animal.
According to forest officials, the cubs, born to female cheetah KGP12 on April 11, were discovered around 6:30 am by a monitoring team near the den site in the Sheopur territorial division. The carcasses were found partially devoured.
Officials said the cubs were last seen alive on the evening of May 11, PTI reported.
Cubs May Have Died In Animal Attack
Preliminary findings suggest the cubs may have died after being attacked by another animal, though the exact cause will be confirmed only after post-mortem examinations and a detailed investigation.
“The mother cheetah is safe and healthy,” an official said.
Cheetah Now Stand At 53
Following the deaths, India’s cheetah population now stands at 53. Of these, 50 cheetahs, including 33 born in India, are currently housed at Kuno National Park, while three are at the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
Officials added that all surviving cheetahs are healthy and being closely monitored.
Under India’s ambitious cheetah reintroduction project, eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia in September 2022, followed by 12 from South Africa in 2023. Earlier this year, nine more cheetahs, six females and three males, arrived from Botswana.
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