Wildlife activist blames Kuno official for hiding cheetah cub's health report

Bhopal, Feb 9: The first cheetah cub born on Indian soil at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP) after 20 big cats were transported from African countries was injured, a wildlife activist has claimed.

Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dube shared a photograph of cheetah cub on his social media handle claiming the feline’s right leg was fractured on November 28, but the Kuno authority did not reveal the matter.

Dube wrote to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the nodal agency of India's ambitious 'Project Cheetah', demanding an investigation into the matter.

"10 months old cheetah cub’s right leg was fractured in quarantine home, however, the Kuno authority informed the NTCA a week later," he added.

Senior Indian Forest Service officer (IFoS) Uttam Sharma, who is supervising the 'Project Cheetah' at Kuno, however, denied the allegation, claiming "no such incident had happened".

However, an official document available with IANS revealed that the said cheetah cub was treated on November 29.

At present, Kuno has as many as 21 cheetahs - 13 adult felines brought from South Africa and Namibia and eight cubs born on Indian soil. A total of 11 cubs were born at Kuno since September 2022, out of which three cubs died. Seven cubs, born recently, are said to be fit and fine.

In his letter to the NTCA, Dube also mentioned that two other cheetahs, namely – Nirva and Agni - were sick, which is a matter of concern.