Two held over death of cheetah; firearm as yet untraced

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This was the first instance of a cheetah being shot since Project Cheetah, a reintroduction programme for the species, was launched in September, 2022. Photo credit:X/ byadavbjp

Two people have been arrested in connection with the killing of a male cheetah cub at the Kuno National Park, officials said on Friday (October 30, 2026). 

A senior wildlife official told The Hindu that two people had been arrested after questioning. “The arrest has been made by a special task force formed for the purpose under the Arms Act, after which the accused were produced before a court. They are currently in police remand, and we will take custody soon,” the official said, requesting anonymity. 

“The case will be solved very soon, and we will reveal everything in a day or two. At the moment, multiple teams are at work,” the official said adding that more than five forest personnel had been suspended.

Another senior wildlife official, however, said that the two persons had been detained on Thursday (October 29) evening while the weapon, believed to be a country-made bharmar gun, is yet to be recovered. 

“Several people in villages near the spot where the cub was found have been questioned so far and based on that two locals were detained last night [Thursday]. They were arrested today. Searches have also been conducted in the area to find the gun,” the official said, adding that the accused were being questioned about the circumstances of the incident and the firearm used.

Earlier on Thursday (October 29), officials had said that investigating teams have been scanning a large area, mapping the cub’s movement over 15-20 days based on its tracking radio-collar.

Officials suspect that the weapon used in the shooting is “a country-made bharmar gun”, a traditional single-shot, muzzle-loading smoothbore firearm that is popular is the rural and forest parts of the region. 

The 19-month-old cub, KNG22, an offspring of South African cheetah Nirva, had been found with five gunshot injuries in Sheopur forest division on October 25 and died during treatment on October 27 in Jabalpur. This was the first instance of a cheetah being shot since Project Cheetah, a reintroduction programme for the species, was launched in September, 2022.

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