Two newborn Cheetah cubs found dead at Kuno National Park

Two days after Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav celebrated the birth of cubs to Neerva, a South African cheetah at Kuno National Park (KNP), tragedy struck. The mutilated carcasses of two newborn cubs were discovered on Wednesday, raising concerns about their survival.

Forest officials learned of the cubs' death when they noticed that Neerva, the mother cheetah, had moved away from her monitored den. A team of forest staff and veterinarians rushed to the spot, where they found the two dead and mutilated cubs.

“After inspecting the area, we found no evidence of other cubs,” a forest official said. “Neerva is reported to be in good health.”

Samples from the deceased cubs have been sent for forensic examination to determine the cause of death, with results expected soon. Despite this loss, the official confirmed that the remaining adult cheetahs and 12 cubs are in good health.

Confusion arose over the number of cubs born to Neerva when Chief Minister Yadav announced on social media that four were born, only to later delete the post and clarify that the forest department would confirm the number soon.

The latest incident raises concerns about the high infant mortality rate in the KNP cheetah reintroduction project. Since March 2023, seven of the 19 cubs born at the park have died. Wildlife experts attribute this to the naturally high mortality rate of cheetah infants, among the feline family's highest.

Kuno National Park, India’s first sanctuary to reintroduce African cheetahs, hosts 12 adult cheetahs and 12 cubs. The project, which began in September 2022, aims to revive the species extinct in India over 70 years ago. Since then, 20 African cheetahs have been brought to the park, though eight adults have died, highlighting the challenges in acclimatizing the species to its new environment.

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