DNA analysis: Security lapses behind first cheetah killing in India

In a major setback to India’s cheetah reintroduction programme, a 19-month-old male cheetah cub, identified as KNG-22, has died after being shot by poachers outside Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The incident is the first reported case of a cheetah being killed by gunfire in independent India since the species was declared extinct in the country in 1952. It has also raised serious questions over the security arrangements put in place under Project Cheetah.

#DNAमित्रों | चीते को गोली मारी गई.. गोली चलाने वाले कौन थे? वो सिर्फ 19 महीने का था.. KNG-22 'कोड नेम' था आजाद भारत में पहले चीते की हत्या का DNA टेस्ट #DNA #DNAWithRahulSinha #MadhyaPradesh #KunoNationalPark #Cheetah @RahulSinhaTV @Zeepramod https://t.co/khKQf5Hx9l

— Zee News (@ZeeNews) October 28, 2026

In today's episode of DNA, Zee News Managing Editor Rahul Sinha examined the security lapses, the threat from poaching networks and the high investment behind India’s flagship conservation programme, asking how poachers managed to target a protected cheetah despite a multi-layered security grid.

Cub strayed outside Kuno before shooting

The incident came to light on October 25, when wildlife monitors tracked KNG-22 to the Sheopur-Morena forest division, an area outside the core boundary of Kuno National Park. Like several young cheetahs under the project, the cub had moved beyond the park limits during routine movement.

Born in India to female cheetah Nirva, KNG-22 was found severely injured by field teams. He was rushed to a veterinary facility in Jabalpur, where emergency surgery was performed.

Radiographs and CT scans revealed internal organ damage, and doctors removed five firearm pellets from the cub’s body. Despite round-the-clock treatment, KNG-22 succumbed to his injuries on October 27.

Security grid under scanner

The shooting has triggered concern because Project Cheetah operates with extensive security and monitoring arrangements. More than 100 trackers and forest guards monitor the cheetahs round the clock, while a nine-member security party routinely follows animals moving through open forest areas.

The animals are also tracked through satellite GPS collars, night-vision cameras and surveillance drones. In addition, more than 400 local volunteers, known as Cheetah Mitras, work as community informants and guardians.

Despite this multi-layered security network, poachers were able to locate the cub and open fire, prompting questions over how the incident took place.

Centre orders high-level probe

Following the incident, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change dispatched a high-level investigative team to Madhya Pradesh.

The team includes the Inspector General of Forests from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Additional Director of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and regional WCCB directors. It is working alongside the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and a newly formed state Special Task Force.

Search operations are under way along the Sheopur and Morena borders as investigators focus on local poaching networks.

Officials said the incident appeared to be a targeted shooting rather than a case of human-wildlife conflict, in which villagers sometimes use firecrackers to drive away straying animals. The case has also drawn attention to a previous operation between July and August, when 15 suspects were arrested for allegedly poaching 10 leopards in the same Kuno-Sheopur-Morena belt.

Big cats remain targets of wildlife crime

Wildlife trade experts said big cats in the region continue to be high-value targets for organised poaching syndicates. According to Interpol, illegal wildlife trafficking generates nearly Rs 3 lakh crore annually worldwide, making it one of the largest organised crime networks.

Big cat skins and furs are traded illegally in North America and Europe for luxury furniture and fashion, while bones and skeletons are used in traditional medicines in parts of East Asia. Claws, teeth and other body parts are also trafficked for talismans, jewellery and traditional remedies.

High stakes for Project Cheetah

India launched Project Cheetah in September 2022 to reintroduce the species and restore ecological balance to the country’s grasslands. Under the programme, eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia in 2022, followed by 12 from South Africa in 2023 and nine from Botswana in 2026.

Before the latest incident, India’s cheetah population stood at 58, including 41 animals born on Indian soil. Official records show that more than Rs 112 crore has been invested in the project’s infrastructure, security and habitat management.

As the central team continues its investigation, the death of KNG-22 has highlighted the persistent threat posed by poaching networks to India’s ambitious cheetah revival programme.