A forest team from Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park was allegedly attacked by villagers when it was tracking cheetah KGP-3 in Rajasthan’s Karauli district. The incident reportedly took place after the cheetah killed a buffalo calf in the area and locals were angry.
A forest guard was injured in the incident and then approached police on November 6, 2026. The incident has raised concerns about safety of wildlife personnel monitoring cheetahs outside protected forests.
Cheetah KGP-3 Kills Buffalo Calf in Karauli
The incident took place in Mandrayal area of Rajasthan’s Karauli district where a tracking team of Kuno National Park was tracking cheetah KGP-3.
The complaint said that the animal was spotted in forest area under Chandelipura gram panchayat where it allegedly killed a buffalo calf.
Members of the forest team were then approached by villagers who asked them why they had lost livestock. The argument reportedly turned into an argument and several people joined in.
The forest department team was deployed to keep track of the cheetah’s movements and prevent human wildlife conflict.
Forester Alleges Assault and Attempted Strangulation
Alok Prajapati, a 34-year-old forester of Kuno National Park filed a complaint against five to six unidentified villagers on Tuesday November 3.
In his complaint, Prajapati said villagers abused and assaulted members of the tracking team. He also said attackers tried to strangle him and threatened to kill him.
Speaking about the incident, Prajapati reportedly said that an elderly villager first approached them and asked for compensation from the team for buffalo calf killed by cheetah.
The forest people tried to tell them that compensation would be given through the process but something went wrong and another person arrived and called more villagers.
Prajapati said the attackers then pelted stones at the team and he also asked police protection for forest personnel doing night patrols in the area.
Police Register Case Against Unidentified Villagers
Mandrayal police station registered a case against five to six unidentified people on complaint of forest guard.
Station House Officer Jay Prakash Singh confirmed that a case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Police are investigating the allegations and trying to identify those involved in the confrontation. Further legal action will depend on the investigation.
The incident has exposed the problems faced by forest officials when wild animals move out of protected areas and into villages or agricultural regions.
Human-Wildlife Conflict Raises Safety Concerns
Cheetahs introduced under India’s reintroduction programme in Kuno National Park sometimes wander outside the park while exploring.
When these animals move into populated areas livestock attacks can raise tensions between local communities and wildlife authorities. Forest teams need to watch for their movements but also listen to residents’ concerns.
Compensation for livestock losses and timely communication with villagers are part of managing such situations.
The latest confrontation in Karauli shows that coordination between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh forest departments is needed as well as security for personnel tracking wildlife.
While police investigations continue the incident has once again brought to light the challenges of protecting reintroduced cheetahs while protecting nearby communities and forest workers.
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