KGP11, a 27-month-old female cheetah part of India’s cheetah reintroduction initiative, passed away while receiving medical care at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The cheetah had sustained severe injuries and was discovered in distress in the Morena district on June 1. Despite extensive efforts by veterinary teams, the cheetah did not recover and succumbed to its injuries.
Kuno National Park’s director, Uttam Sharma, confirmed the cheetah’s death, mentioning that a post-mortem examination is scheduled for June 7 to determine the exact cause of death. Wildlife experts and veterinarians had been working tirelessly to save the cheetah, but unfortunately, her condition did not improve. Initial reports suggested internal bleeding, with authorities also investigating the possibility of injuries from a confrontation with another wild animal.
KGP11 was one of the cheetahs born in India as part of Project Cheetah and had been released into the wild in March 2025. After more than a year of free roaming in the Kuno landscape, she was found injured earlier this month. The recent loss of KGP11 follows the deaths of four cubs born to another India-born female cheetah, KGP12, indicating both progress and challenges in the conservation efforts at Kuno National Park.
The cheetah population at Kuno National Park now stands at 49, with 32 of them being India-born cheetahs. While 19 cheetahs are currently in the wild, the rest are housed in enclosures and monitored areas. Officials reassured that the remaining cheetahs are in good health and are continuously monitored. Additionally, three cheetahs are housed at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, bringing the total cheetah count in India to 52.
India’s cheetah reintroduction program commenced in September 2022 with the relocation of African cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa, marking the species’ return to India after more than seven decades of extinction in the country.
