Well Being Of Cheetahs In Kuno National Park A Matter Of Concern
There are several questions that need to be addressed, including about their safety and availability of food
Cheetahs have repeatedly escaped from Kuno National Park (ETV Bharat)
ByETV Bharat English Team
Published :August 8, 2026 at 6:14 PM IST
Sheopur: Repeated cases of cheetahs escaping from Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh to neighbouring habitats has become a cause of concern for the wildlife authorities. The latest incident pertains to the Soi Kalan area of Sheopur where a cheetah entered a residential area for the last 4-5 days, and was attacked by villagers with stones. Such incidents have raised serious questions about the safety of the cheetahs at the park
Wildlife expert Ajay Dubey told ETV Bharat, “There are several reasons for the repeated escapes of cheetahs. First, there are two forests in Sheopur, one within the Sheopur Division; the other being Kuno National Park. Cheetahs that were released in the latter, often escape into the rural forest areas of Sheopur from where they and up in Etawah in Uttar Pradesh, or Rajasthan or border areas. The primary reason that I understand for their escapes is search for food.”
Dubey said the cheetahs are primarily hunting goats and calves because they can’t find deer for food. Consequently, they are infiltrating rural areas in search of easier prey. He added, “The deer and blackbucks released in Kuno have somehow failed to thrive there. Over 1,000 deer have been released in Kuno since 2022, but their numbers haven’t increased. Ideally, their numbers should have increased to 2,000-2,500. The biggest reason behind this is the lack of development of grasslands.”
He further said, “If grasslands aren’t developed, how will the deer thrive? And if the deer don’t thrive because of the absence of grass, the cheetahs will still be scavenging for food.”
He went on to add that the second biggest reason for their repeated escapes from the park is that the area is too small for them. The fact that cheetahs run fast and cover long distances cannot be ignored. Consequently, the area where they are kept seems too small for them. This needs to be addressed
Referring to the recent incident of a cheetah entering a residential area in the Soi Kalan region, he said, “It’s in no way right for villagers to attack the cheetahs. This is extremely worrying, because cheetahs are not safe either inside or outside the forest. They face threats from leopards within the forest and sometimes the pressure from leopards force them to flee.”
Raising serious questions about the management of the forest, he said, “On July 23, several poachers were caught in Agra. They had killed several leopards in the park. What is going on in Kuno is beyond comprehension. If leopards are being hunted right under the nose of the forest department, one can only imagine the extent to which cheetahs will be safe. It is clear that cheetahs are facing food and water problems. This is why they are wandering here and there in search of food. This also indicates that the claim of ‘all is well’ in Kuno exists only on paper.”
A video from the Soi Kalan area of Sheopur was circulating on social media on Friday evening, showing some villagers running with stones to kill a cheetah. Surprisingly, no tracking team or responsible forest department officer could be seen in the video. It is being said that this incident exposes the claims around spending crores of rupees and monitoring efforts to protect the cheetahs. Wildlife experts say such incidents are dangerous for the villagers, as the cheetahs may attack them under pressure and fear.
Repeated efforts to reach out to the Park Director Uttam Sharma and Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) R Thirukkural proved to be futile, as they did not respond to several calls made to them
Also Read:
- MP Police Economic Offences Wing Begins Probe Into Kuno Cheetah Project, After Congress Alleges Feed Tendering Scam
- Project Cheetah: Concerns Emerge Over RTI Act ‘Violations’, ‘Irregularities’ In Tranquillisation
- President Murmu Visits Kuno National Park, Reviews Progress Of Project Cheetah
- Missing Cheetah KP-3 Rescued From Rajasthan, Transported Back To Kuno
