MP: Four one-month-old Cheetah cubs found dead at Kuno National Park

Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 12 : Four one-month-old cheetah cubs were found dead at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The incident "appears to be predation by another animal," they said.

According to a press note issued by the Cheetah Project authorities, the cubs, born on April 11, were discovered dead with their bodies partially eaten near the den site in the Sheopur Territorial Division at around 6:30 AM on May 12.

"Today, at around 06:30 AM, the four cubs (one month old) of female Cheetah KGP12, that were born on 11.04.2026 in the wild, were found dead (bodies partially eaten) by the monitoring team near the den site in Sheopur Territorial Division. The cubs were last observed alive during the evening of 11.05.2026. Prima facie, the incident appears to be predation by another animal," the release read.

It further added that the mother cheetah is safe and healthy. Further details about the exact cause of death will be determined after post-mortem examination and detailed investigation.

Currently, Kuno National Park has 50 cheetahs, including 33 India-born, while three cheetahs are currently housed at Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary. With this, the total number of cheetahs in India stands at 53.

The Cheetah Project authorities further stated that all remaining cheetahs were completely healthy and doing well.

Earlier on Monday, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav released two female cheetahs into the open wild at Kuno National Park. These two female cheetahs are part of the recent Cheetah batch brought from Botswana in February this year after the completion of their quarantine period and acclimatisation process.

Under Project Cheetah, India has been steadily rebuilding its cheetah population since the historic reintroduction initiative began in September 2022. Initially, eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia, followed by 12 cheetahs from South Africa in 2023. In February 2026, nine additional cheetahs, including six females and three males, arrived from Botswana, taking the total cheetah population in India, including cubs born in the country, to 53.

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