Kuno national park: 4 Cheetah cubs born in the wild found dead, leopard attack suspected

The cubs were born in the wild to the cheetah tagged as KGP12 and were found dead in their den in the park in Sheopur

Four Cheetah cubs were found dead in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP) on Tuesday, a forest official said, adding that the wounds on the carcasses indicate a leopard attack.

The monitoring team found the four half-eaten carcasses in the forest. (Representative Photo)

The cubs were born in the wild to the cheetah tagged as KGP12 and were found dead in their den in the park in Sheopur. The cubs, born on April 11 and celebrated as the first wild-born cheetahs in India, were discovered dead by a forest department monitoring team.

The monitoring team found the four half-eaten carcasses in the forest. Their mother, KGP12, was safe and found roaming nearby, said an official.

KGP12 is the offspring of Gamini, a cheetah born in South Africa. Her litter marked the first time an Indian-born cheetah raised in the wild had given birth outside an enclosure. Forest officials hailed the births as a milestone for the project’s primary objectives including the large cats’ survival in the wild and breeding under natural conditions.

“The cubs were being monitored 24x7 without interference. On May 11, they were alive and in healthy condition. But on Tuesday morning, they were found dead with deep wounds and partially eaten bodies. Prima facie, they were attacked by a leopard,” KNP field director Uttam Sharma said. The carcasses have been sent for post-mortem.

At least 14 other adult cheetahs have been found to be active in the wild, forest officials monitoring the area found.

As many as 57 cubs have been born at KNP in the past three years. Of the remaining 37, only four were born in the wild, while 33 cubs were raised in a soft-release enclosure. In total, 50 cheetahs have been counted at KNP with three more at the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.