All four KGP12 leopard cubs, born in the wild in Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur, were found dead on Tuesday, senior KNP functionaries familiar with the matter said, adding that they were killed by a leopard.
The bodies of the cubs, which were born a month ago on April 11 and were celebrated as the country’s first wild cheetahs, were discovered near their den site, and a monitoring team found their half-eaten bodies in the forest. Their mother was found safe and wandering nearby, according to an official.
“The cubs were constantly monitored. On May 11, they were alive and well. But on Tuesday morning, they were found dead with deep wounds and partially eroded bodies. At first sight, a leopard attacked them,” KNP Field Director Uttam Sharma said. He added that the bodies were transferred to forensic medicine to determine the causes of death.
KGP12 is the offspring of Gamini, a cheetah born in South Africa. Her litter was the first time an Indian-born, wild-raised cheetah had been born outside its enclosure. Forest officials have hailed this as an important milestone towards the core objectives of the project including ensuring survival and reproduction under natural conditions.
Currently, forest officials are closely monitoring the area while the other 14 adult leopards roam freely in the wild.
Over the past three years, 57 cubs have been born at KNP. Of the remaining 37, only four were born in the wild, while 33 were raised in a soft-release pen. After this incident, only 33 cubs remained alive. In all, there are 50 leopards in the KNP, in addition to three leopards in the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
