Driver Dismissed for Offering Water to Cheetahs at Kuno National Park
Driver Dismissed for Offering Water to Cheetahs at Kuno National Park
A forest department driver has been dismissed after a video surfaced showing him offering water to a cheetah and her cubs at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh, an act that violated official protocols.
Offering water or milk to #cheetahs by villagers is not a good sign for #wildlife conservation. This may lead to dangerous consequences. As usual, the forest is undisturbed.@CMMadhyaPradesh @ntca_india @PMOIndia @KunoNationalPrk @Collectorsheop1 pic.twitter.com/3iIIYbd8Kn
— ajay dubey (@Ajaydubey9) April 5, 2025
The viral video captured the driver, who was employed by the forest department, calling out to a cheetah named Jwala—brought from Namibia under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Project Cheetah—and offering her water in a steel bowl. The cheetah approached calmly and drank from the bowl, followed by her four cubs.
Authorities stated the driver breached established guidelines by interacting with the animals and recording the incident, which was later shared with the media. “Such actions reflect a lack of discipline and go against departmental instructions,” said Uttam Kumar Sharma, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF), as quoted by PTI. Sharma added that disciplinary measures are underway against all staff involved.
The cheetah family had reportedly been wandering near the Agra range, close to the park’s boundary and near human settlements. The forest department deploys additional staff and uses trained personnel to monitor and guide cheetahs back into safer forested areas when they venture too close to agricultural zones.
Officials acknowledged that water was offered to the cheetahs due to extreme heat while they were roaming in open fields. However, Sharma emphasized that only trained and authorized personnel are permitted to approach or interact with cheetahs, and only under specific circumstances.
Currently, Kuno National Park is home to 26 cheetahs—17 in the wild (including 11 cubs born in India) and nine in enclosures. The cheetah population was established following the translocation of eight cheetahs from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 more from South Africa in February 2023, marking the world’s first intercontinental cheetah reintroduction project.
