Why forest employee was fired for giving Kuno cheetahs water
What's the story
A driver hired as a daily wage worker for duties related to the Forest Department has been removed from service for breaching rules at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP). The man was caught on camera offering water to a cheetah named Jwala and her cubs, who were translocated from Namibia under PM Narendra Modi's Project Cheetah. The incident was considered an act of indiscipline and breach of official instructions.
Disciplinary action
Official reprimand for the driver's actions
Uttam Kumar Sharma, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF), said the driver was subjected to disciplinary action for flouting instructions and showing indiscipline. "Further, a video was made and shared in the media, disregarding every discipline and instructions in this regard. Action is being taken against the concerned staff," Sharma told PTI.
Breach
Driver's actions seen as breach of protocol
The driver was also seen on video calling out to Jwala and offering her water in a steel bowl, which she calmly took along with her cubs. Sharma clarified that the cheetah monitoring team has been instructed to guide them back into the forests "whenever such a situation arises so as not to create human-cheetah conflict." He emphasized only authorized personnel can approach cheetahs for specific tasks, indicating a breach of protocol here.
Twitter Post
Watch the video here
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— Jaipal Reddy (@zaipalreddy) April 6, 2025
Cheetah relocation
Kuno National Park hosts relocated cheetah population
KNP currently houses 17 cheetahs roaming in the wild, including 11 Indian-born cubs. Nine of them are housed in enclosures. Eight Namibian cheetahs were introduced to KNP in September 2022, marking the first-ever intercontinental translocation of big cats. Another 12 cheetahs were brought in from South Africa to the sanctuary in February 2023. The protected forest now houses 26 cheetahs.