Environment
Injured Cheetah Cub Dies in Madhya Pradesh Following Suspected Shooting
Wildlife authorities launch an investigation after metal pellets are recovered from the animal in the first such attack.
By Headlinne · Compiled from reporting by ThePrint, Hindu and Mathrubhumi English
A 19-month-old male cheetah cub died while undergoing treatment in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday after being found injured with metal pellets embedded in its body.
Forest department officials said the cub was discovered lying still on October 25 outside the boundaries of Kuno National Park in the Morena Forest Division and was later moved to Jabalpur for emergency surgery.
The death brings India's total cheetah population down to 58 and marks the first suspected shooting of a reintroduced big cat since the conservation program began in 2022.
“A detailed probe is going on and we are exploring all angles, including poaching,” said a senior wildlife official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Medical examinations revealed that multiple foreign bodies caused damage to the animal's internal organs, musculoskeletal system and nervous system, according to an official statement.
“Emergency surgery was performed, during which five firearm pellets were recovered from his body,” said Dr Sameeta Rajora, the principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden.
The Mathrubhumi English reported that five pellets were recovered during surgery, while ThePrint and The Hindu reported that three to four pellets were retrieved from the body.
State wildlife authorities have deployed the State Tiger Strike Force to investigate the incident and examine all possible circumstances surrounding the injuries.
Wildlife activists criticized the department and demanded a broader federal inquiry, pointing to recent leopard poaching cases in the same region.
“We want a CBI enquiry into this mortality/poaching case because repeated incidents of leopard poaching, and now a cheetah, in this particular cheetah landscape, not only in MP but also in Rajasthan and UP, have come to light,” said Ajay Dubey, a Bhopal-based environmentalist.
Authorities have not yet officially confirmed whether the incident constitutes active poaching or if the animal was deliberately targeted by hunters.
Reporting from
- ThePrint
Injured cheetah dies in Madhya Pradesh. Big cat number down to 58
- The Hindu
Cheetah cub dies during treatment in first suspected case of shooting in Madhya Pradesh
- Mathrubhumi English
Cheetah cub dies after being shot in Madhya Pradesh; five firearm pellets recovered
How this article was made: Headlinne wrote it with AI from the 3 reports listed above. Direct quotes are checked word for word against those reports, every number appears in at least one of them, and no other sentence is copied from one. Photos are from those reports and credited to them. Each report’s page on Headlinne links to the outlet’s original.