# Centre sends NTCA-WCCB team after Kuno cheetah cub dies of gunshot pellet injuries

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-29/kuno-cheetah-kng22-gunshot-probe/
Date: 29 October 2026 (2026-10-29)
Source: The Hindu, Page 14
UPSC papers: GS3
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** A young cheetah, KNG22, died on 27 October 2026 of firearm pellet injuries outside Kuno, prompting a central NTCA-WCCB investigation and fresh questions about Project Cheetah.

A 19-month-old male cheetah, KNG22, an offspring of the cheetah Nirva, died on 27 October 2026 after being found with firearm pellet injuries outside Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The cub was found injured on 25 October in a territorial forest area outside the park's protected boundary and was taken for emergency treatment to a veterinary facility in Jabalpur. Surgeons removed five firearm pellets, but the cheetah died of multiple internal injuries. It is the first reported death of a cheetah by gunfire since the species was reintroduced to India under Project Cheetah in September 2022.

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change sent a high-level central team to investigate. It comprises the Inspector General of Forests of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), and an Additional Director and a Regional Deputy Director of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB). The team will work with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and a Special Task Force of forest and police officers set up by the State government to find out how the animal was shot and who was responsible. After the death, India has 58 cheetahs: 52 in Kuno National Park, four in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and two in Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, all in Madhya Pradesh.

The killing raises the central difficulty of Project Cheetah: cheetahs range widely and often leave protected areas, entering farmland and village forests where they may meet hostile people, snares or guns. Supporters of the project point to cubs born in India and the spread to new sites such as Gandhi Sagar as signs of progress. Critics have long argued that Kuno is too small for a free-ranging population and that the project depends on intensive monitoring that cannot cover every animal outside the park. The investigation is also expected to review security and monitoring protocols.

## Prelims facts

- Cheetah KNG22, a 19-month-old male and offspring of Nirva, died on 27 October 2026 after five firearm pellets were found in its body.
- It is the first reported gunfire death of a cheetah since Project Cheetah began in September 2022.
- A central team from the NTCA and the WCCB is investigating, alongside a Madhya Pradesh Special Task Force of forest and police officers.
- India now has 58 cheetahs: 52 in Kuno, four in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and two in Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve.
- The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952.

## Quick recall

- **Which cheetah died of gunshot pellet injuries in October 2026?** KNG22, a 19-month-old male, offspring of Nirva.
- **How many pellets were removed from KNG22?** Five firearm pellets.
- **Which bodies are on the central investigation team?** The NTCA and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
- **How many cheetahs does India have after KNG22's death?** 58: 52 in Kuno, four in Gandhi Sagar, two in Veerangana Durgavati.
- **When was the cheetah declared extinct in India?** 1952.
- **When were the first cheetahs released at Kuno?** 17 September 2022, eight from Namibia.
- **When did 12 cheetahs arrive from South Africa?** February 2023.
- **In which district is Kuno National Park?** Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh.

## Prelims practice question

With reference to Project Cheetah, consider the following statements:
1. The first cheetahs released under the project were brought from Namibia in September 2022.
2. As of October 2026, all of India's cheetahs are in Madhya Pradesh.
3. The cheetahs brought to India belong to the Asiatic subspecies.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only. Statement 1 is correct: eight cheetahs from Namibia were released at Kuno on 17 September 2022. Statement 2 is correct: the 58 cheetahs are in Kuno, Gandhi Sagar and Veerangana Durgavati, all in Madhya Pradesh. Statement 3 is wrong: the animals came from Namibia and South Africa and are African cheetahs; the Asiatic cheetah survives only in Iran.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Mains 2026, GS3: Discuss the aim and goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Mention India's commitments and initiatives to achieve the goals and targets of this framework, giving suitable examples. (https://upsc.help/pyq/gs3/#q365)
  How to use this story in the answer: Offers Project Cheetah as an example of an Indian species-recovery initiative, and the KNG22 shooting as evidence that protection outside parks is the weak link.
- UPSC Mains 2018, GS3: How does biodiversity vary in India? How is the Biological Diversity Act,2002 helpful in conservation of flora and fauna? (https://upsc.help/pyq/q329-does-biodiversity-vary-india-biological-diversity-act/)

## Mains practice question

The death of a cheetah from gunshot injuries outside Kuno National Park exposes the limits of reintroducing a wide-ranging carnivore into a crowded landscape. Discuss, and suggest measures to secure Project Cheetah's future. (250 words)

### Model answer

On 27 October 2026 cheetah KNG22, a 19-month-old male, died after five firearm pellets were removed from its body; it had been found injured outside Kuno National Park. It is the first reported gunfire death since Project Cheetah began in September 2022.

## Limits exposed
- **Ranging behaviour:** cheetahs need large open landscapes and routinely leave protected areas.
- **Human-dominated surroundings:** farmland and village forests bring guns, snares and conflict.
- **Monitoring gaps:** collars and tracking teams cannot cover every animal at all times.
- **Habitat size:** critics argue Kuno alone cannot hold a free-ranging population.

## Progress so far
- India has 58 cheetahs: 52 in Kuno, four in Gandhi Sagar and two in Veerangana Durgavati.
- Cubs born in India show the animals can breed here.

## Measures needed
- **Investigation and deterrence:** the NTCA-WCCB team and the State's Special Task Force must trace the culprits; prosecution under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 signals deterrence.
- **Landscape approach:** manage corridors and buffer areas across Kuno, Gandhi Sagar and neighbouring forests, with more release sites.
- **Community stake:** compensation for livestock loss, local employment as trackers, awareness drives.
- **Better monitoring protocols:** rapid response teams for animals that stray, as the investigation is to review.
- **Science-led review:** publish population and mortality data and adjust the action plan.

## Conclusion
Project Cheetah can succeed only if the landscape outside the park becomes as safe as the park itself.

## The basics

## Why this matters
Project Cheetah is India's first attempt to bring back a large carnivore that had gone extinct in the country. UPSC asks about its sites, its source countries and the bodies that run it, and Mains questions on conservation can use it as an example of both ambition and risk. The shooting of cheetah KNG22 outside Kuno in October 2026 brings the risks into focus.

## A species lost and returned
The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. Hunting and loss of grassland habitat had wiped it out. Under Project Cheetah, India brought in African cheetahs, which belong to a different subspecies from the Asiatic cheetah that once lived here.

## Where the cheetahs live now
Kuno National Park in Sheopur district is the main site. Cheetahs have also been moved to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve.

## Who protects them
Two statutory bodies under the Environment Ministry lead the central response. The National Tiger Conservation Authority is the technical body for Project Cheetah. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau fights organised wildlife crime and helps States investigate poaching. Inside States, the Chief Wildlife Warden and forest department run day-to-day protection.

## The core problem
Cheetahs are built for open country and roam far. Kuno is surrounded by farms and villages, so animals that stray meet people, livestock and sometimes guns. Hunting a cheetah is an offence under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, where the species is in Schedule I, the highest level of protection. Laws deter only if offenders are caught, which is why the central investigation matters.

## Sources

- https://superkalam.com/current-affairs/29-10-2026/centre-forms-panel-to-probe-death-of-young-cheetah-in-m-p-s-kuno-pg14-74970eb6-287f-4962-a43a-7f8f6bc5e4bc
- https://dailypioneer.com/madhya-pradesh/centre-sends-high-level-team-to-probe-cheetah-kng22s-death-from-pellet-injuries
- https://thefederal.com/category/states/north/madhya-pradesh/19-month-old-cheetah-dies-during-treatment-in-mp-5-firearm-pellets-found-in-body-260967
- https://www.drishtiias.com/state-pcs-current-affairs/high-level-team-to-investigate-cheetah-death-in-mp
- https://www.republicworld.com/india/first-cheetah-killing-since-1947-centre-launches-probe-as-kuno-project-loses-cub-to-gunfire-2026-10-28-139840
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Cheetah