19-month-old cheetah dies after being shot with pellets in Madhya Pradesh

In what is believed to be the first reported killing of a cheetah in India since the species was reintroduced in 2022, a 19-month-old male cub died early Tuesday after being found critically injured in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena forest division, with five firearm pellets recovered from its body during surgery.The last recorded killing of cheetahs in India dates back to 1947, when Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Koriya, in present-day Chhattisgarh, shot dead the country’s last three remaining Asiatic cheetahs.The cub, identified as KNG22, was rescued from Compartment No. 748 of the forest division and initially examined through an X-ray, which revealed multiple foreign bodies at different locations inside its body. Treatment was initiated accordingly.Following consultations with experts, the cheetah was shifted to the Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology at NDVSU in Jabalpur for further investigation and intensive treatment. CT SCAN REVEALS DAMAGE TO INTERNAL ORGANS, NERVOUS SYSTEMA subsequent CT scan revealed multiple foreign bodies that had damaged the cheetah’s internal organs, musculoskeletal system and nervous system.An emergency surgery was performed, during which five firearm pellets were recovered from the animal’s body. However, despite the surgical intervention and sustained efforts by the veterinary team, the cheetah could not be saved.SPECIAL TASK FORCE CONSTITUED TO PROBE The Madhya Pradesh government has constituted a Special Task Force (STF) comprising forest and police officers to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident.The development was announced by Dr Sameeta Rajora, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden of Madhya Pradesh, in a statement dated October 27.INDIA'S CHEETAH POPULATION STANDS AT 58With the death of KNG22, India’s total cheetah population stands at 58, according to the statement.Of these, 52 cheetahs are in Kuno National Park, four in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and two in Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve (VDTR).The circumstances under which the cheetah sustained the firearm pellet injuries are being investigated by the newly constituted STF.- Ends