Cheetah cub dies after gunshot injuries in Madhya Pradesh as task force is formed

The cub was found in the Sheopur Forest Division and rescued before being brought to Kuno National Park for treatment, The Hindu reported. It was later shifted to a veterinary facility in Jabalpur, where it died during treatment. The reports describe the animal as 19 months old and male.

The Hindu reported that a CT scan identified five firearm pellets in the cub’s body, including in the lungs. Hindustan Times also reported that pellets were extracted from the body. The evidence confirms firearm injuries, but does not establish who fired the weapon or why.

The four-member task force has been formed to investigate the death, with police and forest officials involved. The Hindu reported that the team was deployed in the Sheopur Forest Division, where the injured cub was found, alongside State Tiger Strike Force teams.

The Hindu described the case as the first suspected shooting or shooting-related attack on a cheetah in Madhya Pradesh since the species’ reintroduction programme began in 2022. That characterization remains attributed to the newspaper; the supplied reports do not establish whether the incident was intentional, constituted poaching or involved an identified perpetrator.

The Hindu reported that the cub was found on October 25, 2026, and died during treatment on the morning of October 27. The supplied reports differ in how they describe the location, with the strongest detailed account placing the discovery outside Kuno National Park in the Sheopur Forest Division, while other headlines refer to Kuno or Sheopur.