Indian-Born Cheetah KGP11 Dies At Kuno After Five-Day Battle With Injuries

An Indian-born female cheetah named KGP11 died while undergoing treatment at a veterinary facility in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno region after sustaining serious injuries, officials said on Saturday.

The 27-month-old cheetah was found injured on June 1 in the Pahargarh area of Morena district , during routine monitoring. She was immediately rescued and shifted to the Palpur veterinary facility inside Kuno National Park for intensive care.

Officials said the cheetah remained under continuous veterinary supervision for nearly five days but succumbed to her injuries on June 6 evening despite sustained medical efforts by wildlife doctors and field teams.

Preliminary veterinary assessments had indicated suspected internal injuries and possible haemorrhage , although the exact cause of death has not been confirmed. Authorities said the circumstances under which the cheetah moved outside her usual range are also under examination as part of ongoing monitoring and field review.

Kuno Field Director Uttam Sharma confirmed that a post-mortem examination will be conducted on June 7 to establish the precise cause of death.

Officials also said early inputs suggest KGP11 may have suffered trauma in a possible natural territorial conflict or accidental injury , but no conclusion has been reached and investigations are continuing.

With her death, the cheetah population at Kuno now stands at 49 , including 32 Indian-born cheetahs . Of these, 19 are currently free-ranging in the wild , while the rest remain under close monitoring and are reported to be stable.

India’s total cheetah population now stands at 52 , including three animals housed in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary .

The incident comes amid continued scrutiny of Project Cheetah , India’s flagship wildlife reintroduction programme launched in 2022, which has seen multiple deaths and injuries among relocated and born cheetahs, underscoring ongoing challenges in adaptation to wild habitats.