Two Brothers Arrested for Shooting Cheetah in Madhya Pradesh
Two brothers were arrested in Madhya Pradesh for shooting a cheetah, prompting an investigation into wildlife protection measures.
Shyopur, November 2 (Daily Kiran) : In a troubling incident in Madhya Pradesh, two brothers have been arrested for allegedly shooting a 19-month-old male cheetah. The arrests were made by the Special Task Force (STF) of the forest department on November 2, following the discovery of a licensed firearm used in the crime. This weapon was recovered from a forest area in the neighboring Morena district.
The suspects, identified as Bhagwan Singh and Preetam Singh, were taken into custody during the investigation into the death of the cheetah, known as KNG-22. The animal was found severely injured in the forests of Shyopur on October 25.
According to official reports, Bhagwan Singh, a resident of Navalpura-Behera village in Morena, was arrested on October 31. During questioning, he admitted that he and his brother had gone hunting in the woods near Nitanwas village in Vijaypur on October 24.
The statement revealed that upon spotting the cheetah, Bhagwan Singh fired at it with his licensed double-barrel muzzle-loading gun before fleeing the scene. Based on his information, the STF, with assistance from the Morena police, apprehended his brother Preetam Singh as well.
Both brothers were taken back to the crime scene for identification purposes, where the firearm used in the shooting was located in the Morena forest.
To address this incident, the state government has formed a four-member team comprising forest and police officials to conduct a thorough investigation. This team has established a network of informants and utilized a dog squad to aid in their search efforts, gathering further information with the help of the local police and forest departments.
As of now, no evidence has been found linking this incident to any organized wildlife crime syndicates or commercial poaching activities.
The cheetah, KNG-22, was born in Kuno National Park to a female cheetah named Nirva. After being rescued from the Shyopur forest compartment, the injured animal was initially taken to Kuno and later transferred to Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University in Jabalpur for advanced treatment. Despite emergency surgery to remove five shotgun pellets, the cheetah succumbed to its injuries on October 27.
In response to this incident, the central government has deployed a three-member team to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting and to review safety measures under the “Project Cheetah” initiative aimed at protecting these animals. This incident has raised significant concerns regarding the safety of cheetahs venturing outside protected areas in Kuno National Park.
