Hi-tech hospital and army of foreign doctors also failed, forest staff shocked by the death of 23 leopards so far

The ambitious dream of re-establishing the cheetah population in India after almost 70 years seems to be gradually turning into a major crisis. Once again very disturbing news has come out from Kuno National Park located in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh. Despite claims of a state-of-the-art wildlife hospital built in Kuno and round-the-clock monitoring by international experts from Namibia and South Africa, the process of premature death of cheetahs is not stopping. Recently, the death of a seriously injured female cheetah found in Pahargarh area of ​​Morena during treatment has exposed the security and medical system of this entire project. If we look at the statistics, within the last three and a half years, Kuno has lost a total of 23 leopards and their newborn cubs forever, which has shaken the wildlife lovers.

Kuno’s super-speciality hospital proved to be a failure in providing life to only one cub, but in other emergency cases

With the beginning of Cheetah Project, a world class wildlife hospital was constructed in Palpur area of ​​Kuno at a cost of crores of rupees. The main objective of building this hospital was that if a cheetah falls ill or gets injured in a mutual conflict, it can be saved by providing on-spot emergency treatment. But the ground reality is that in the last three and a half years this hospital has been successful in saving only one newborn cub ‘Mukhi’. Apart from this, whenever a cheetah or cub was brought to the hospital in a critical condition, the doctors proved completely unsuccessful in giving it life support. Contrary to all the claims of the Kuno management, the emergency medical system appears to be extremely helpless.

Video calls and mobile ICU of Namibian doctors also ineffective, everything is lost in front of nature.

This wildlife hospital of Kuno is very advanced technologically. There are many facilities available here like special wildlife medical equipment, tranquilizer gun, state-of-the-art blood test lab, ultrasound, portable X-ray and mobile hospital i.e. ‘Mobile ICU’. Not only this, top wildlife experts from Namibia and South Africa, including the team of Dr. Lari Marker, head of Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), are available for consultation on video call at all times. Scientists from Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) also remain in constant touch with the Kuno management. But despite all these modern frills and the army of international doctors, the continuous deaths of cheetahs are raising serious questions on the functioning of the forest department.

Claims of caller ID, drone and CCTV are false, news is sent to the rescue team the next day of the attack.

The management continuously claims that a three-tier high-tech surveillance system is in place for the safety of leopards in Kuno. Every leopard has a satellite caller ID around its neck, which gives its moment-to-moment location. Apart from this, drone cameras, CCTV and special tracking teams of forest personnel remain behind them like shadows day and night. But the bitter truth of these claims gets exposed in the management report itself. Whenever a cheetah or a cub has been attacked by another predatory animal or injured in a mutual fight, the tracking team has come to know about it the next day or several hours later. Due to this very fact of delay, many leopards died in agony due to not getting timely treatment.

When, how and which leopard lost its life in Kuno? See the complete timeline of the devastation:

Victims of conflict and violent attacks in the forest:

• Daksha: Died in a violent conflict with male cheetahs during mating on 9 May 2023.

• Tejas: Died on 11 July 2023 due to serious injuries sustained in a fight with other predatory wildlife.

• Sun: Died on 14 July 2023 due to deep wounds on neck and body during mutual fight.

• 2 cubs of Cheetah Nirva: He was found dead in a dense forest on 28 November 2024, just five days after birth.

• A cub of Gamini: Died on 5 August 2025 after spinal fracture in a mutual conflict.

• 4 cubs of cheetah KGP 12: On May 12, 2026, their mutilated bodies were found inside the forest.

• Cheetah KGP 11: He died during treatment in the hospital after being found injured in the forests of Pahargarh on 6 June 2026.

Death due to disease, dehydration and infection:

• Cheetah Sasha: Died of severe kidney disease shortly after arriving in India in March 2023.

• Cheetah Jwala’s 3 cubs: Death on 23 May 2023 due to extreme heat, malnutrition and extreme dehydration (lack of water).

• Cheetah Rise: Death due to sudden cardiac arrest (heart attack) on 23 April 2023.

• Cheetah midwives: Died on 2 August 2023 due to serious infection and worms in the throat below the collar ID.

• Cheetah Shaurya: Died on 16 January 2024 due to prolonged illness and extreme physical weakness.

• Male Cheetah Paw: Mysterious death due to drowning in the strong current of water in a drain of Kuno on 27 August 2024.