MP Forms Special Task Force After Kuno Cheetah's Death
The death of a cheetah in Kuno National Park has led the Madhya Pradesh government to set up a Special Task Force to investigate how the animal was shot. The Forest Department announced the formation of the STF on Wednesday, saying it includes officers from both the forest and police departments.
The 19-month-old male cheetah, KNG22, died on Tuesday morning while receiving treatment. He had been rescued on October 25 from compartment number 748 of the Sheopur Territorial Forest Division.
The Forest Department said emergency surgery was performed on the cheetah, during which five pellets from a gun were removed from his body. Before surgery, X-rays showed several foreign objects lodged in different parts of the body. The animal was then sent to the Veterinary Surgery and Radiology Department of Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University in Jabalpur for detailed examination and intensive care.
A CT scan indicated that the foreign objects had harmed the cheetah’s internal organs, musculoskeletal system and nervous system. Samita Rajora, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, said emergency surgery had been carried out and five gun pellets were taken out.
The veterinary team and surgeons worked continuously to save the animal, but it did not survive. Rajora said the STF would carry out a comprehensive inquiry to understand the circumstances of the shooting and identify anyone responsible.
The department has not yet provided more information about the suspected firing or any accused.
With KNG22’s death, India’s cheetah population has fallen to 58. Kuno National Park has 52 cheetahs, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary has four, and Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve has two.
Kuno in Sheopur district is the main centre of India’s cheetah reintroduction project, which started in September 2022 with cheetahs from Namibia. Cheetahs from South Africa were brought later to help establish a permanent population of the species in India. Cheetahs had been declared extinct in South Africa in 1952.