Cheetah cub found injured outside protected Kuno area raises fresh questions on wildlife safety

The 19-month-old male cub was rescued from the Morena forest division and taken to Kuno for treatment; officials are investigating whether it was injured in an animal encounter or a human being had a role to play in it

A 19-month-old male cheetah cub ranging in the forests of Madhya Pradesh's Morena district was found injured by a monitoring team on Sunday evening and rescued overnight, prompting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the injury.

The cub, born to female cheetah Nirva, was brought to Kuno National Park for medical examination and treatment, according to a press note issued by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department on Monday. The animal is undergoing treatment while officials are examining all possible explanations for the injuries. The cause has not yet been established.

"The cheetah has been injured and we are trying to ascertain how that happened," Kuno Director Uttam Kumar Sharma said.

The incident occurred in the Morena Territorial Forest Division, outside Kuno National Park, highlighting the challenges of monitoring cheetahs as they range beyond the protected area. The authorities have not disclosed the precise location where the cub was found or the full extent of its injuries.

The State Tiger Strike Force (STSF), a specialised wildlife crime investigation unit, has been deployed to investigate possible foul play. Medical examinations, including X-rays, are expected to help establish the nature of the injuries. A possible attack by another wild animal, including a leopard, and human involvement are among the explanations being examined.

The deployment of the STSF comes against the backdrop of a major wildlife crime case in Morena. In August, an inter-state poaching network was uncovered after more than 10 leopards were trapped and killed in the district, allegedly for the illegal trade involving their skin.

However, investigators have not established any connection between the earlier killings and the injuries sustained by the cheetah cub in the recent case.

A senior wildlife official, who is part of the monitoring, said, "We dispatched several investigating teams such as the STSF, looking at the sensitivity of the area and its history of poaching. Young cheetahs are vulnerable to predation, while dispersing animals can encounter other predators, unfamiliar terrain and human settlements. Determining the cause of the cub's injuries will, therefore, be essential before any conclusion is drawn about whether the incident represents a wildlife crime or a natural encounter."

The discovery of the injured cheetah cub comes amid renewed concerns over the safety of wildlife in the wider Kuno landscape, where cheetahs moving through territorial forests and villages increasingly bring the conservation programme into contact with local communities.

Two cattle calves killed

On Sunday, two cheetahs reportedly killed two cattle calves near a house in Bamori village in Sheopur district, triggering apprehension among residents who said they were worried about going to their fields after dark. Forest officials urged villagers not to panic and said livestock owners could seek compensation under existing rules.

Project Cheetah began on September 17, 2022, with eight big cats brought from Namibia. A further 12 were brought from South Africa in February 2023, followed by nine from Botswana this year. Over four years, the programme has shifted from the initial translocation of adult animals to breeding and establishing India-born generations.