Two cubs born to African cheetah Neerva found dead at Kuno; mutilated carcasses recovered

Female cheetah Gamini with its newly born cubs at Kuno National Park in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Samples sent for examination to ascertain the cause of their death, says forest official

Two cubs born to African cheetah Neerva were found dead at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday (November 27, 2024), an official said.

A team of forest staffers monitoring the movement of cheetahs received signals through radio telemetry that Neerva was away from her den, following which they, along with veterinarians, rushed to the spot and found the mutilated carcasses of the two cubs inside, he said.

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After inspecting all possible places inside the boma (enclosure), they concluded that no more cheetah cubs were there, the official said.

“No other cheetah cubs were found inside the boma during the inspection, which reflects that Neerva gave birth to only two cubs. The carcasses of the two newborns will be cremated on Thursday as per norms,” Project Cheetah director Uttam Kumar Sharma said.

The samples from the dead cubs were sent for examination to ascertain the cause of their death, the official said.

All adult cheetahs, including Neerva, and the rest of the 12 cubs at the Kuno park are healthy, the official said. The count of cheetahs at KNP was last reported to be 24.

Confusion prevailed on Monday over the exact number of cubs that Neerva gave birth to. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav initially shared on social media that she gave birth to four cubs, but later deleted the post and said the forest department would confirm the exact number of the newborns.

In a new post that evening, Mr. Yadav wrote, “Today the Cheetah Project has achieved a major milestone. In Cheetah State Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, a female cheetah Neerva has given birth to cubs. The Forest Department will soon confirm the number of cubs.”

In September 2022, eight Namibian cheetahs – five females and three males – were released into enclosures at the KNP as part of the world’s first intercontinental translocation of the big cats, seven decades after they became extinct in India due to hunting and habitat loss.

In February 2023, a dozen more cheetahs were translocated to the national park from South Africa as part of the Centre’s project to reintroduce the big cats in the country.