Multiple cheetah deaths in Kuno raise questions about habitat limits, prey scarcity, and management. A data-driven look at the challenges facing India’s cheetah project T wo back-to-back cheetah deaths—one from a suspected collision inside the forest and another caused by a speeding vehicle—have once again pushed the spotlight onto the ambitious yet troubled cheetah introduction project in Kuno National Park . While officials have issued preliminary statements, the absence of publicly released post-mortem and investigation reports related to the past such cases has deepened concerns about transparency at a time when clarity is essential. The recent incidents highlight the ecological and management challenges that continue to shape the project’s uncertain trajectory. Each Loss Is Significant Setback On December 5, Friday, one of Veera’s cubs recently released into the open forest, died after reportedly separating from its mother. Just two days later, on December 7, another young cheetah...
Multiple cheetah deaths in Kuno raise questions about habitat limits, prey scarcity, and management. A data-driven look at the challenges facing India’s cheetah project
Two back-to-back cheetah deaths—one from a suspected collision inside the forest and another caused by a speeding vehicle—have once again pushed the spotlight onto the ambitious yet troubled cheetah introduction project in Kuno National Park. While officials have issued preliminary statements, the absence of publicly released post-mortem and investigation reports related to the past such cases has deepened concerns about transparency at a time when clarity is essential. The recent incidents highlight the ecological and management challenges that continue to shape the project’s uncertain trajectory.
Each Loss Is Significant Setback
On December 5, Friday, one of Veera’s cubs recently released into the open forest, died after reportedly separating from its mother. Just two days later, on December 7, another young cheetah was killed when a vehicle struck one of Gamini’s 20-month-old cubs as the family attempted to cross a road near Ghati Gaon. Kuno management claimed that the tracking team tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver continued at high speed. Sightings of Gamini and her cubs had been reported in the same area—nearly 100 km from Kuno by road—for two days prior. The region, once thriving grassland that supported blackbuck and the Great Indian Bustard, underscores how far cheetahs are now dispersing beyond the protected area. These unfortunate deaths add to a growing list of losses. Twenty cheetahs have died so far since the project began, leaving roughly 20 individuals roaming free in Kuno today. While mortality is expected in any reintroduction effort, the frequency and circumstances of these deaths raise urgent questions about habitat suitability, management readiness, and long-term project viability. For a population still in its early establishment phase, every individual matters—and each loss is a significant setback.
Kuno's capacity, prey base and leopards density
One longstanding concern has been the ecological capacity of Kuno National Park itself. The reserve is relatively small for a population of large carnivores, and as cheetahs disperse in search of better resources, they increasingly venture into human-dominated spaces such as farmlands, villages, and highways. In African landscapes, wide-ranging movements are natural for cheetahs. In India, such movements expose them to threats that the ecosystem is not yet equipped to mitigate—traffic, dense human presence, and fragmented habitat.
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A key ecological constraint is low prey density. Surveys show an average of just 17 prey animals per square kilometer, with a few hotspots reaching 30–35. This falls short of the estimated 30–60 cheetal or spotted deer units per square kilometer needed to sustain a healthy cheetah population. Prey scarcity affects every aspect of cheetah survival: it reduces hunting success, increases energetic stress, and forces individuals to move longer distances. Such extended movement raises the risk of entering leopard-dominated zones, crossing roads, or wandering into agricultural landscapes—factors that directly heighten mortality.
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The second major ecological pressure comes from Kuno’s high leopard density. Available data suggests the presence of 90 leopards in the park—about 26 per 100 square kilometers—making it a landscape heavily dominated by a powerful generalist predator. Leopards not only compete with cheetahs for the same limited prey base but can also kill cheetahs, especially cubs. In Africa, cheetahs actively avoid areas with high leopard concentrations. In Kuno, limited space makes such avoidance nearly impossible, intensifying stress on a population already struggling to adapt, an expert in the Union ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change observed. These ecological challenges have had tangible consequences. Because of inadequate prey availability, some cheetahs have had to remain in enclosures longer than intended, the officer claimed. Experts have repeatedly recommended sustained in-situ prey buildup through habitat improvement and prey augmentation, but such measures require consistent, long-term implementation. Until these conditions are met, cheetahs will continue to navigate a landscape that does not fully support them.
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The pressure on Kuno is further compounded by delays at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, the project’s intended second site. Similar issues—insufficient prey base and the presence of leopards—have slowed its readiness for receiving cheetahs. With only one functioning site, the project faces a population bottleneck. Multiple, well-prepared sites are essential for dispersal, genetic security, and risk distribution, especially for a species still finding its foothold in the Indian landscape with smaller national parks as compared to Africa.
The World Is Watching
Transparency remains another area of concern. Timely release of post-mortem reports, investigation findings, and official data is crucial for scientific evaluation and public trust, particularly for a project being watched closely around the world. Openness is not merely administrative—it is a core pillar of successful, science-driven conservation. The vision of returning cheetahs to India is bold and deeply symbolic. It aims to restore a lost ecological legacy and revive grassland ecosystems that have long been overlooked. But ambition must be matched by ecological preparedness and transparent, adaptive management.
Also read:Another Cheetah Dies in Kuno as African Experts Plea the Sc for Transparency in the Project
The recent deaths serve as a reminder that the challenges facing the project are not isolated events but indicators of structural issues within the landscape and its management. As India moves forward, the lessons from these incidents must guide the next phase. Strengthening habitat quality, improving prey availability, reducing risks from predators and human infrastructure, and ensuring clear, open communication will be key. The stakes are high, but so is the potential. The long-term survival of cheetahs in India will depend on how effectively these challenges are addressed in the years ahead.
By Deshdeep Saxena
Banner Image: Video grab of the cheetahs in Ghatigaon area before the road accident
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