Kuno cheetah cub dies of pellet wounds after being found injured in Morena forest; STSF probes first such attack since reintroduction

Key facts

• A 19-month-old male cheetah cub born to female cheetah Nirva was found injured by a monitoring team on Sunday evening in the Pahargarh range of the Morena Territorial Forest Division, Madhya Pradesh, and was rescued on Sunday night.
• The cub was first shifted to Kuno National Park for medical examination and treatment, and later moved to Jabalpur for advanced veterinary care, where doctors found evidence of gunshot injury and removed pellets during surgery.
• Chief Wildlife Warden Samita Rajora confirmed that the cub had died; Dr Shobha Jawre of the College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Jabalpur, said it died due to pellet injuries.
• This is the first reported attack and killing of a cheetah in India since the species' reintroduction under Project Cheetah.
• The State Tiger Strike Force (STSF) has been deployed to investigate, examining a suspected poaching angle and human-animal conflict, along with the DFO Morena and the field director of Kuno National Park.