Four cheetah cubs, just a month old, were found dead at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district on Tuesday morning, with their carcasses partially consumed. The cubs, born on April 11 to female cheetah KGP12, were last seen alive on the evening of May 11.
Authorities believe the deaths were caused by predation, though a post-mortem examination and further investigation are underway. The mother cheetah is reported to be safe and in good health.
The loss brings India’s total cheetah population down to 53. Kuno currently houses 50 cheetahs, including 33 born in India, while three others are at Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in the state.
India’s cheetah reintroduction programme began in September 2022 with eight animals translocated from Namibia, followed by 12 from South Africa in 2023, and nine more from Botswana earlier this year. Despite this setback, officials confirmed that all surviving cheetahs are in good health.
