Viral cheetah video from Kuno National Park triggers disciplinary action

Bhopal: Authorities at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP) have initiated disciplinary action after a video showing a man offering water to a cheetah and her cubs went viral on social media.

“In this incident, field staff violated the instructions and have shown indiscipline,” said Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) Uttam Kumar Sharma in a statement on Sunday.

“Further, a video was made and shared in the media disregarding every discipline and instructions in this regard. Action is being taken against the concerned staff,” Sharma added.

Cheetahs close to human habitation

KNP, located in Sheopur district around 420 kilometres from Bhopal, witnessed cheetah Jwala and her four cubs wandering near human settlements in the Agra range close to the park boundary.

Sharma said the monitoring team had been instructed to lure cheetahs back inside the forest to prevent any human-cheetah conflict.

“Whenever a cheetah goes into agricultural fields or close to human habitation, additional staff is called from the concerned range. In this case too, additional field staff from range Agra was called,” the APCCF said.

He explained that Jwala and her cubs were moving through open agricultural fields under the sun and heading towards human habitation. To guide them back into the forest, water was used as a lure.

Unauthorised contact with cheetahs

“One of the drivers (a daily wager) of the vehicle hired for the duties of the forest department in range Agra, Kuno WLD, gave water in a steel bowl to Jwala and her four cubs,” Sharma said.

“There are clear instructions to move away from cheetahs as per training given to the monitoring team to handle cheetahs in close proximity. Only authorised persons can go in close proximity to cheetahs to perform a specific task,” he added.

In the 40-second video, a man is seen pouring water from a can into a steel pan while five cheetahs sit nearby in the shade. The cheetahs then approach the pan and begin drinking. Though the man appears hesitant at first, he is encouraged by others, including the person recording the video, and eventually crouches near the animals.

Earlier sightings sparked concern

This incident follows a similar video posted on Friday showing cheetahs feeding on prey. Last month, other clips surfaced online showing a female cheetah and her cubs near an under-construction railway bridge in Virpur tehsil, close to human settlements.

Currently, KNP is home to 17 cheetahs roaming in the wild, including 11 born in India. Nine more cheetahs remain in enclosures.

Eight cheetahs from Namibia—five females and three males—were introduced to KNP on 17 September 2022 in India’s first intercontinental cheetah translocation. A further 12 cheetahs were brought from South Africa in February 2023.

At present, the park houses a total of 26 cheetahs, including 14 cubs born on Indian soil.

(PTI Inputs)