Kuno cheetah enters bustard reserve along highway where 1 died in Dec; sparks concern

Bhopal: A cheetah from Kuno National Park (KNP) has moved into Ghatigaon Wildlife Sanctuary, close to a national highway, prompting renewed concerns over its safety amid an unresolved earlier cheetah death in December last year in the same area.The animal, identified as KGP-1, left Kuno about 25 days ago and is now ranging within the Sonchiriya Sanctuary zone in Ghatigaon. This is the same landscape where a cheetah cub was killed in a suspected hit-and-run on December 7 while crossing the Agra–Mumbai National Highway. The investigation into that incident is still ongoing.Forest officials confirmed KGP-1's presence on Wednesday and have intensified monitoring due to the risk from highway traffic. An eight-member joint team from Gwalior and Kuno has been deployed, and local residents have been alerted.The December case remains unsolved. A tyre from a suspected vehicle, found with animal hair, is key evidence, but confirmation depends on pending genetic analysis by the Wildlife Institute of India. Delays in coordination between veterinary teams and forensic labs have slowed the probe. Officials had shortlisted 13 vehicles seen near the site, but responsibility has not yet been fixed.Meanwhile, KGP-1's movement is being tracked via radio collar and specialised antenna systems. Officials said the immediate priority is to prevent the cheetah from straying onto the highway. "Movement near the road is a concern. Monitoring has been intensified to avoid any repeat of the earlier incident," an official said.Highways emerge as biggest threat to cheetahsInputs discussed during the recent Cheetah Project Steering Committee meeting highlight that road infrastructure poses a major risk to free-ranging cheetahs, drawing parallels with global experience.Officials cited inputs from Iranian experts, where the Asiatic cheetah population has struggled due to human-induced threats. Nearly 80% of cheetah mortality in Iran is linked to human activities, with around 50% of deaths and injuries occurring near highways.