September 16th 2025.
Bhopal: The recent incident of a leopard killing a sub-adult female cheetah in Kuno National Park has raised concerns among wildlife enthusiasts for the safety of other free range cheetahs. The incident, which occurred on Monday evening, has sparked fears that cheetahs moving in open terrains may be at risk. However, forest officials at Kuno are assuring the public that there is no need to panic, as this was a rare and isolated incident.
According to the officials, this kind of incident is not uncommon even in South Africa, where the death percentage of cheetahs due to leopard attacks ranges between 7 to 10 percent. They also point out that with the increasing number of cheetahs in Kuno, the chances of such incidents happening are low. "The deceased sub-adult cheetah had been roaming in open ranges for the past few months. This was simply an accidental case where she unfortunately fell prey to a leopard attack," stated an official from Kuno.
It is estimated that there are approximately 90 leopards in Kuno, and they are the natural competitors of cheetahs. In confrontations, leopards tend to overpower cheetahs. With the recent incident, Kuno is now left with 25 cheetahs, out of which 9 are adults and 16 are Indian-born. An autopsy was performed on the deceased cheetah on Tuesday, and the results are still awaited. However, Kuno officials strongly believe that she was killed by a leopard.
In light of this incident, the authorities have decided to take further measures to protect the cheetah population in the area. As part of the three-year Project Cheetah, a female South African cheetah named Dheera will be translocated from Kuno National Park to the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Mandsaur on Wednesday. This move is expected to strengthen India's efforts in the conservation and revival of cheetahs. In April, two male cheetahs, Prabhash and Pavak, were also translocated to the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, which is being developed as a new home for cheetahs. With the addition of Dheera, there will now be three cheetahs in the sanctuary. The Cheetah Steering Committee and state government had already approved Dheera's translocation earlier.
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