In a setback to India’s cheetah reintroduction programme, four cubs born last month to India-born female cheetah KGP 12 were found dead on Tuesday at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district, officials confirmed, according to a report by news agency PTI.

Forest department officials said the cubs were discovered early in the morning by a monitoring team near their den site.

Preliminary observations suggest the cubs may have fallen prey to another wild animal, though the exact cause of death will be determined only after detailed examination.

“The bodies of the four cheetah cubs were spotted by the monitoring team near the den site in Sheopur territorial division of Kuno at around 6.30 am on Tuesday. The carcasses were found to be partially eaten, indicating that they might have been killed by a predator animal”, the forest officer told Deccan Chronicle.

Officials said the cubs had last been seen alive on May 11, adding that their mother, identified as KGP 12, is healthy and continues to be monitored closely by wildlife teams. The officer reiterated that the final cause of death would emerge only after postmortem reports are completed.

The cubs were born on April 11, marking an important milestone as KGP 12 became the second India-born female cheetah at Kuno to give birth.

Mukhi was the first India-born female cheetah at the park to become a mother, while five other females that have given birth at Kuno were originally translocated from Namibia and South Africa.

Following the loss of the four cubs, the cheetah population at Kuno has reduced to 50 individuals, including 33 cubs. As part of population management measures, three cheetahs had earlier been relocated from Kuno to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Mandsaur district about a year ago.

Authorities said monitoring efforts would continue to ensure the safety and survival of the remaining cheetahs in the reserve.