India’s cheetahs are roaming beyond protected forests. Can GPS collars keep them safe?

2 Nov 2026Veterinary Care Wildlife

A 19-month-old male cheetah, KNG22, died after being shot with firearm pellets in the territorial forests of Morena district, Madhya Pradesh, outside Kuno National Park. Veterinary surgeons recovered five firearm pellets from the cub, born to the female cheetah Nirva, after it was found critically injured. The incident raised questions about the safety of cheetahs moving beyond protected areas under Project Cheetah. Kuno National Park director Uttam Kumar Sharma stated that satellite collars used for monitoring are generally programmed to transmit location data every six hours to balance updates with battery life. While satellite collars provide broad location data, dense terrain and transmission gaps mean monitoring teams cannot maintain constant visual contact, showing the limits of tracking technology for highly mobile animals that travel several kilometres daily in search of prey and territory.

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3 Nov 2026News
Two arrested in connection with poaching of Kuno cheetah cub
Two suspects were arrested for the poaching of a cheetah cub from Kuno National Park in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh. ANI reported that the Special Task Force in Madhya Pradesh arrested Bhagwan Singh and his brother Pritam Singh for allegedly hunting the animal using a licensed muzzle-loading shotgun in the forests of Sheopur. The 19-month-old male cub had died from pellet injuries on October 26, a day after a monitoring team found it wounded in the Morena territorial forest division and sent it to the veterinary institute in Jabalpur. ANI stated that the accused were booked under sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 pertaining to hunting. This marks the first killing and the 25th death of a cheetah since the reintroduction of the wild animal to India in 2022, when cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa were brought back seven decades after being declared extinct by the Indian government in 1952. The country now has a total of 54 cheetahs, with 50 located in Kuno National Park and four in the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary.
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Who shot Kuno’s young cheetah? Three arrested, weapon missing
A young cheetah was shot dead in Kuno National Park in India, leaving India with 58 cheetahs across its protected sanctuaries and reserves, according to wildlife officials. The State Tiger Strike Force stated that local residents were suspected of involvement in hunting the 19-month-old male cub. Officials stated that two brothers were among the suspects arrested, produced before the local court, and taken to the site for scene recreation. A wildlife official stated, "Local people were suspected to be involved, and three persons were arrested and produced before the local court." Five pellets from a traditional muzzle-loading firearm were recovered from the animal's body during surgery at Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University in Jabalpur, and the MP government stated that a licensed gun used in the killing was recovered, though the muzzle-loading weapon itself has not been found. The Madhya Pradesh government constituted a four-member Special Task Force to investigate the incident. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change deputed a three-member team from the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to examine security arrangements and evidence. Investigators continue to examine radio-collar data and question villagers to determine the exact shooting location.
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Radio collared cheetah dies in first shooting case in MP; Tiger Strike Force probes poaching angle
A 19-month-old male cheetah died from pellet injuries in Morena district, Madhya Pradesh, following an incident where six MP Forest staff were suspended and two held, in the first such killing since 1947. Mathrubhumi English stated that the shooting raises questions over unexplained wildlife deaths and alleged poaching. Gujarat Samachar stated that Madhya Pradesh formed a Special Task Force to probe the incident. Social News XYZ stated the government ordered the probe after five firearm pellets were recovered. The Madhya Pradesh Tiger Strike Force is investigating a possible poaching angle. Madhya Pradesh Chief Wildlife Warden Samita Rajora stated, "Emergency surgery was performed, during which five firearm pellets were recovered from his body." Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey filed a complaint with the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, demanding a high-level inquiry into security lapses. The incident brings India's cheetah population to 58, across Kuno National Park, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, and Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve. A veterinarian at the College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry in Jabalpur stated a formal report was lodged with the state forest department. France 24 stated India vows action after the cheetah was shot dead.

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India’s cheetahs are roaming beyond protected forests. Can GPS collars keep them safe?

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More in Veterinary Care

Two arrested in connection with poaching of Kuno cheetah cub

Who shot Kuno’s young cheetah? Three arrested, weapon missing

Radio collared cheetah dies in first shooting case in MP; Tiger Strike Force probes poaching angle

From the Library

89th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife committee

NHAI’s red road markings for wildlife and road safety

Wildlife criminal on INTERPOL Red Notice arrested in MP