Madhya Pradesh suspended six forest employees after a young cheetah died from gunshot wounds in territorial forest near Kuno, bringing security in the surrounding area under scrutiny.
India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said KNG22, a 19-month-old male, was found injured Oct. 25 in Morena’s territorial forest, outside Kuno’s protected area. Doctors at Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University in Jabalpur removed five pellets during surgery. KNG22 died Oct. 27.
The ministry and Madhya Pradesh had opened separate inquiries after the death, as EconoTimes reported in its earlier coverage of the case.
IANS reported Oct. 31 that the six employees were suspended for negligence of duty. The group included three forest guards, two rangers and a deputy ranger. Morena police arrested two suspects and recovered weapons, IANS reported.
Madhya Pradesh formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) with forest and police officials, IANS said. IANS also reported that the central government sent a separate high-level team to the site. The agency said officials are examining how the forest was secured and whether staff failed in their duties.
IANS said no cheetah had been shot dead in India for about 79 years and reported concerns about the safety of reintroduced animals under Project Cheetah.
