Two Arrested for Shooting and Killing Cheetah Cub in Kuno National Park

Two people have been arrested in connection with the killing of a male cheetah cub at the Kuno National Park. A senior wildlife official stated that the arrests were made by a special task force under the Arms Act after questioning, and the accused were produced before a court and placed in police remand. More than five forest personnel have been suspended in relation to the incident. Another senior official noted that the two locals were detained on Thursday evening, though the firearm is yet to be recovered. Officials suspect the weapon used was a country-made bharmar gun, which is a traditional single-shot, muzzle-loading smoothbore firearm popular in rural and forest areas. Investigators have questioned several people in nearby villages and conducted area searches to find the weapon. The probe is led by a four-member special task force formed by the State Government alongside the State Tiger Strike Force. Teams have also been scanning a large area and mapping the 19-month-old cub's movement over a period of 15 to 20 days using its tracking radio-collar.

Context

The 19-month-old cub, named KNG22 and born to South African cheetah Nirva, was found with five gunshot injuries in the Sheopur forest division on October 25 and died during treatment in Jabalpur on October 27. This marks the first time a cheetah has been shot since Project Cheetah began in September 2022 to reintroduce the species to India.