A 19-month-old male cheetah cub at Kuno National Park died from pellet wounds after it was found injured in the forests of Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district, marking the first such incident in the country since the reintroduction project.

Born to Nirva last year, the cub, KNG22, died early on Tuesday, three days after it was rescued with severe injuries.

Madhya Pradesh Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Sameeta Rajoura said: “Subsequent CT scan showed that foreign bodies had damaged the cheetah’s internal organs, musculoskeletal system and nervous system.”

She said: “Emergency surgery was performed, during which five firearm pellets were recovered from its body. Despite the intervention and sustained efforts by the veterinary team, the cheetah could not be saved.”

Kuno National Park director Uttam Kumar Sharma refused to comment on how the cheetah had managed to stray far from Kuno National Park and why the monitoring teams were unable to intervene earlier.…