Sheopur, May 12 : Four cheetah cubs born to female cheetah KGP-12 were found dead at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradeshâ??s Sheopur on Tuesday morning, in a setback for Indiaâ??s cheetah reintroduction project.â??

Forest officials suspect the cubs may have been killed by a wild predator. The cubs, born on April 11, were about one month old.â??

A monitoring team discovered their bodies near the den site during routine tracking in the Sheopur forest area, the Cheetah Field Director at Kuno said while confirming the report.â??

It stated that the same team had seen all four cubs alive on Monday evening, making the deaths sudden.â??

The Field Director of Project Cheetah, in an official statement on Tuesday, said the cubsâ?? bodies were partially eaten, which suggests an attack by a carnivorous animal.â??

â??The exact cause of death will be confirmed only after post-mortem reports are received,â?? the statement said.â??

It added that the mother, KGP-12, is safe and healthy and remains under close watch by forest staff.â??

â??Following the incident, surveillance and patrolling in the area have been intensified,â?? the statement read.â??

Monitoring teams have also stepped up vigilance around other cheetahs and cubs in the park.â??

Forest officials said protecting newborn cubs in the open forest is one of the project's toughest challenges.â??

Kunoâ??s habitat also supports leopards, hyenas, and jackals, which pose a threat to young cubs that cannot defend themselves.â??

The incident comes a day after Chief Minister Mohan Yadav released two female cheetahs into the wild at Kuno.â??

The release was part of efforts to expand the free-ranging cheetah population in the park.â??

With the death of the four cubs, Kuno National Park now has 50 cheetahs. Of these, 33 were born in India under the breeding programme.â??

Three more cheetahs are currently at Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, taking Indiaâ??s total cheetah population to 53.â??

India launched Project Cheetah in September 2022 after cheetahs went extinct in the country in 1952.â??

The first batch was brought from Namibia, followed by cheetahs from South Africa. Since then, Kuno has seen several litters, marking progress for the project.â??

/IANS