Bhopal: A male cheetah cub of the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh, rescued with suspected gunshot injuries in a nearby forest on Sunday, died during treatment in a veterinary hospital in Jabalpur in the state on Tuesday. This is the first death of a cheetah due to suspected gunshot since reintroduction of the wild cat species in the park four years ago, and raised suspicions of poaching.

A press release issued here by Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) (Wildlife), Dr Sameeta Rajora, said that KNG22, a 19-month-old male cheetah, who was rescued on October 25 after being found injured in Compartment No. 748 of the Sheopur territorial forest division, died early this morning.

An initial X-ray revealed multiple foreign bodies at different locations within the cheetah’s body, and treatment was initiated accordingly.

Following expert consultation, the wild cat was shifted to the department of veterinary surgery and radiology of the Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, for investigation and intensive treatment, the release said.

“A subsequent CT scan revealed multiple foreign bodies causing damage to his internal organs, musculoskeletal system, and nervous system. Emergency surgery was performed during which five firearm pellets were recovered from his body. Despite surgical intervention and sustained efforts by the veterinary team, the male cheetah could not be saved”, the PCCF said.

The state government has constituted a special task force (STF) comprising forest and police officers to conduct a detailed investigation, Dr. Rajora said.

“The cheetah appears to have been shot at close-range”, a doctor of the veterinary university told this newspaper, requesting anonymity.

With this, the total cheetah population in India stands at 58, comprising 52 cheetahs in the KNP, four in the Gandhisagar wildlife sanctuary, and two in the Veerangana Durgavati tiger reserve (VDTR).

Director, Project Cheetah, Uttam Kumar Sharma, in a press release issued on Monday, said that the cheetah was found injured beyond the territory of the KNP, in the Morena territorial forest division by a monitoring team on October 25 before being rescued.

But the PCCF in her press release said that the cheetah was found injured in the Sheopur territorial forest division. The KNP, first home of translocated cheetahs in India, falls under Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh.

Wildlife activist Ajey Dubey called it a ‘clear case of poaching’ and demanded a CBI probe into it.

A cheetah is not usually attacked by human beings for their protection since the wild cat is not considered a threat to them like other big cats, tigers and leopards, he said. Dubey cited poaching of a radio-collared leopard in the same area a few months ago to justify his claim of poaching of the cheetah.