A 19-month-old male cheetah rescued with serious injuries from a forest in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district has died during treatment, with five firearm pellets recovered from its body, prompting the state government to constitute a Special Task Force to investigate the death.
The state government has constituted a Special Task Force comprising forest and police officers to investigate how the cheetah sustained its injuries and establish the circumstances that led to its death. Officials are examining all possible aspects of the incident, although the exact cause of the injuries has not yet been established. The death brings down India’s cheetah population to 58, with 52 animals at Kuno National Park, four at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and two at Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, all in Madhya Pradesh.
A subsequent CT scan revealed that the foreign bodies had damaged the cheetah’s internal organs, musculoskeletal system and nervous system. After consultations with experts, the animal was shifted to the Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology at Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University in Jabalpur for detailed investigation and intensive treatment. Emergency surgery was performed, during which five firearm pellets were recovered.
