Sources in the forest department have stated that preliminary postmortem findings and field evidence point towards a leopard attack as the cause of death of four cheetah cubs in Kuno National Park. An officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, 'The distance of the canine marks indicates that the cubs were likely killed by a leopard.' Officials confirmed that a detailed postmortem examination and further investigation are currently underway.
The mother cheetah has been reported to be safe and healthy. The deaths come just weeks after Project Cheetah celebrated what officials had described as the programme's most significant breakthrough since the reintroduction of African cheetahs to India in 2022.
Background of the Cheetah Cubs
KGP12, a 25-month-old female cheetah, was born on Indian soil on March 10, 2024, as the second female cub from Gamini's first litter. Her delivery of four cubs in the wild was hailed as the first successful breeding by an India-born cheetah living freely in open forest conditions. Wildlife officials had described the birth as a key transition point for the project, moving from intensive management to natural population establishment.
'This was the benchmark of success we were waiting for — an India-born cheetah breeding in the wild,' Rajora had said after the birth announcement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Project Cheetah on September 17, 2022, by releasing eight cheetahs from Namibia into Kuno, marking the species' return to India decades after its extinction.
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav had called the birth of the cubs a 'historic moment' and said it reflected the growing adaptation of cheetahs to Indian conditions. However, conservation experts had cautioned that the survival of newborn cubs remained the biggest challenge in the harsh central Indian landscape, especially with predators present.
Monitoring and Investigation
Officials stated that field teams had intensified monitoring while maintaining minimal human interference, tracking the mother and cubs through ground patrols and surveillance inputs. The identity of the cubs' father has not yet been confirmed, with officials analysing satellite collar data and movement patterns of male cheetahs in the landscape, as multiple males have overlapping territories in parts of Kuno.
According to officials, Kuno National Park currently houses 50 cheetahs, including 33 India-born cheetahs, in addition to three cheetahs housed at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. Following the deaths of the four cubs, India's total cheetah population now stands at 53.
'All remaining cheetahs are healthy and doing well,' the Project Cheetah field director said in an official statement.
