19-Month Cheetah Dies from Firearm Pellet Wounds in Jabalpur

A 19-month-old male cheetah, identified as KNG22, succumbed to firearm pellet wounds on October 27, 2026, at a veterinary facility in Jabalpur. The cub was an offspring of Nirva, a South African cheetah brought to India under Project Cheetah, an initiative to reintroduce the species after its extinction in the country.

KNG22, born in India to six-year-old Nirva, was found injured on October 25 in the territorial forests of Morena, outside the protected area of Kuno National Park. The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department located the cheetah in Compartment No. 748 within the Sheopur Territorial Forest Division and provided intensive veterinary care, including emergency surgery.

An initial X-ray and subsequent CT scan performed at the Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, NDVSU, Jabalpur, revealed multiple foreign bodies. These had caused damage to the cheetah’s internal organs, musculoskeletal system, and nervous system. During emergency surgery, five firearm pellets were recovered from its body.

Following the cheetah's death, the Union government has deputed a team comprising the Inspector General of Forests (National Tiger Conservation Authority), the Additional Director of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, and the Regional Deputy Director of WCCB to investigate the incident on the ground. The Madhya Pradesh government has also formed a Special Task Force (STF) involving forest and police officers for the investigation. "Despite the medical intervention, the cheetah succumbed to its injuries on 27 October 2026," stated a press note from Sameeta Rajora, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.

What to watch: Investigations into the source of the firearm pellets and the circumstances of the cheetah's injury are ongoing.

Editor's note: The article is comprehensive, accurately incorporating all factual details from the source summary and text regarding the incident, investigation, and recovery of the cheetah.