Cheetah cub found dead in Kuno National Park, a day after being released into wild

New Delhi: A cheetah cub, released into the wild on Thursday, was found dead on Friday, said officials at Kuno National Park. This young cheetah had been released along with another cub and an adult female cheetah, they said. The deceased cub was that of adult cheetah Veera.

An official from Kuno National Park was quoted by NDTV, as saying that the 10 month old cheetah was released into the wild on Thursday, which was also the International Cheetah day. It was found dead just a day later on Friday.

According to Kuno National Park officials, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mohan Yadav, on Thursday released a female adult cheetah, Veera and 2 of her cubs into the wild. The official said that one of the cubs separated from its mother and sibling at night. It was found dead the next morning, just hours after its release.

The officials said that they would be able to give the exact reason for the death, only after the autopsy report is out. Meanwhile, the cub's mother Veera and its sibling (the other cub) were doing well, confirmed the official.

In July this year, an 8-year-old female cheetah brought from Namibia, under India's ambitious Project Cheetah, had died. The death was attributed to injuries the animal suffered, probably during a hunting attempt, said officials. The deceased cheetah was identified as Nabha.

Just 2 months later, in September 2025, an Indian-born female cheetah was found dead at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur. This death was also attributed to injuries incurred during a suspected encounter with a leopard. This cheetah, which was just 20 months old, was one of the 4 cubs born to Cheetah Jwala, which had been brought to the country from Africa. She had been released into the wild in February 2025, along with her mother and 3 siblings, informed officials at the national park.

Kuno National Park now has 28 cheetahs -- 8 adults (5 females and 3 males) and 20 India-born cubs.