Cheetah Death; 6 Forest Staff Suspended, 3 Suspects Held, Weapons Recovered
The action against the six forest department personnel came amid the ongoing probe into the incident by the Central team: Reports
BHOPAL: Six forest staff have been suspended for lapses in protection and monitoring, leading to the death of the 19-month-old cheetah KNG22 associated with the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh due to firearm pellet injuries on October 27.
The suspended forest department personnel included a deputy ranger, two rangers and two forest guards, a senior forest officer told this newspaper here on Saturday.
The action against the six forest department personnel came amid the ongoing probe into the incident by the Central team, deputed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MEFCC), as well as the Special Task Force (STF), constituted by the Madhya Pradesh government.
Significantly, three suspects allegedly involved in the shooting of the slain cheetah were arrested and weapons were recovered, the forest officer said, requesting anonymity.
Sources said that the forensic team has reached the spot where the cheetah was shot.
The cub of female cheetah Nirva was found injured in the Pahargarh area of the Morena Territorial Forest Division, around 100 km from the core area of the KNP, on October 26, and died during treatment at the veterinary facility in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh the next day.
An X-ray of the body of the slain cheetah found five pellets inside it, indicating that the wild cat was shot, leading to its fatal injury.
With the death of KNG22, the cheetah population in India now stands at 58.