Indian-born female cheetah dies in Kuno National Park, population drops to 52
Authorities said the exact cause of death will be ascertained after a post-mortem examination scheduled for June 7. With KGP-11's death, India's total cheetah population now stands at 52, with 49 in Kuno National Park and three at Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary.
An Indian-born female cheetah has died at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, days after she was found injured in Morena district. The cheetah, identified as KGP-11, had been undergoing treatment since her rescue on June 1 and succumbed to her injuries on Friday.
According to a press note issued by park authorities, KGP-11 was 27 months old. She was found injured in the Pahargarh area of Morena district and was immediately rescued and shifted to the veterinary facility at Palpur for treatment. Despite sustained efforts by veterinarians, the cheetah died after battling for life for five days.
Authorities said the exact cause of death will be ascertained after a post-mortem examination scheduled for June 7.
With KGP-11's death, the cheetah population at Kuno National Park has come down to 49, the press note said. Of these, 32 are Indian-born cheetahs.
The authorities said 19 cheetahs are currently roaming freely in the wild and added that all the remaining animals are healthy and doing well. India's total cheetah population now stands at 52, with 49 in Kuno National Park and three at Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary.
The death comes less than a month after four cheetah cubs were found dead near their den site.
Forest officials said the carcasses of the cubs, born to female cheetah KGP-12 on April 11, were discovered partially eaten by the park's monitoring team near the den area in the Sheopur territorial division on the morning of May 12. Preliminary findings suggested that the cubs may have been attacked by another wild animal.
The deaths came just days after celebrations linked to Project Cheetah had generated excitement at Kuno National Park.
On May 10, coinciding with Mother's Day, park authorities released a short film featuring female cheetahs and their cubs. A day later, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav released two female cheetahs brought from Botswana from their enclosures into the open forest.
India's cheetah reintroduction programme began on September 17, 2022, when eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia to Kuno. In 2023, 12 more cheetahs arrived from South Africa, while another group of nine cheetahs — six females and three males — was brought from Botswana in February this year.