Five pellets were reportedly recovered from the body of KNG22, a male cub born to cheetah Nirva, during emergency surgery at Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University in Jabalpur(Special Arrangement)Three people have been arrested in connection with the death of a 19-month-old cheetah in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district, but investigators have yet to recover the firearm suspected to have been used in the shooting.The State Tiger Strike Force (STSF), which is leading the investigation, has questioned around 20 people in the Morena–Sheopur region and searched the houses of families suspected of involvement in hunting activities, officials said.“Local people were suspected to be involved, and three persons were arrested and produced before the local court. They were taken to the spot where the cheetah cub was found dead for scene recreation,” a wildlife official said.Investigators are also trying to establish the precise location where the cheetah was shot. The animal’s movements were recorded within a radius of around seven kilometres, but investigators are yet to determine whether it continued moving after being shot or was injured before reaching the location where it was found.The firearm suspected to have been used is a traditional bharmar, a muzzle-loading firearm commonly found in rural and forested parts of the region. Five pellets were reportedly recovered from the body of KNG22, a male cub born to cheetah Nirva, during emergency surgery at Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University in Jabalpur. Investigators have identified the pellets as being consistent with those used in muzzle-loading firearms. However, the firearm itself remains untraced, and investigators are trying to establish its ownership and identify the person who fired it.The STSF has also been examining the cheetah’s radio-collar data to reconstruct its movements before it was found injured on October 25, officials said. Investigators are correlating satellite signals with information gathered from villagers, local forest personnel and the teams assigned to monitor the cheetahs. The collar data is expected to help narrow down the area in which the animal was moving, although establishing the exact location and time of the shooting remains a challenge.The 19-month-old cheetah was found by a monitoring team on October 25 in the territorial forest division of Morena, outside Kuno National Park. He was rescued that night and taken to Kuno before being shifted to Jabalpur for advanced treatment. A CT scan revealed damage to his internal organs, musculoskeletal system and nervous system. He died early on October 27.Story continues below this adA four-member Special Task Force comprising forest and police officers was constituted by the Madhya Pradesh government on October 27 to investigate the incident. The Union Environment Ministry has also deputed a three-member team comprising officials from the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. The central team visited the area to examine the circumstances surrounding the shooting, available evidence and the security arrangements for cheetahs ranging outside the protected area.With KNG22’s death, India’s cheetah population stands at 58, comprising 52 at Kuno National Park, four at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and two at Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve.Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the... Read More Tags:bhopal