In a case of glaring negligence of officials, a poacher has been nabbed with a gun from the core area of the Kuno National Park (KNP), the new home to 22 African cheetahs in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.
According to sources, the hunter was apprehended on 16 April but Forest Department officials tried to keep the matter under wraps, presumably to avoid embarrassment and criticism. The fact that a poacher managed to enter the KNP’s core area poses a serious threat to the cheetahs brought to India under an ambitious trans-continental project to reintroduce the felines on Indian soil after being extinct for more than 70 years.
According to KNP Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Prakash Kumar Verma, the poacher identified as Alam Mongia (45), was rounded up in the park’s core area. During interrogation, the accused revealed that he had hid his gun by burying it in sand close to a nearby river.
The forest staff recovered the firearm from the spot that was told by the poacher.
Verma said Mongia has a record of hunting animals to sell their meat. The DFO, however, after grilling the poacher, said that he does not seem to have any connection with any major poaching gang.
Presently, there are 11 Namibian cheetahs, including four cubs, and 11 South African cheetahs, all adults, in the KNP.
An adult female Namibian cheetah and an adult male South African cheetah have died due to health complications.