BHOPAL: A wave of fear and confusion has swept through the villages surrounding Kuno National Park in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh as a series of wild attacks has left residents on edge.
What started as the peaceful return of cheetahs to India has now sparked growing suspicion and hostility among locals, who are increasingly blaming these cats for attacks on humans and livestock. However, wildlife officials are adamant that leopards, not cheetahs, are responsible for the attacks.
The latest incident occurred in Durredi village, just a few kilometers from Kuno National Park. On a Tuesday morning, 57-year-old farmer Ummed Adivasi was tending to his wheat field when a wild animal pounced on him, striking him with powerful paws. Initially, Ummed thought it was a cheetah, but authorities later confirmed that it was, in fact, a leopard. The farmer’s wounds were severe, but thanks to quick medical attention, he is expected to recover.
This attack followed another event just two weeks earlier when 9-year-old Avinash Dhakad was mauled by a wild animal in Umrikala village. The boy’s mother, Suraksha, fought off the predator with incredible courage, pulling her son from its jaws before it could cause any fatal damage. While villagers were quick to blame the cheetahs for these incidents, wildlife officials have continued to insist that leopards are the culprits.
Despite the official stance, a sense of fear has spread through the locals. Locals are in a frenzy, unsure whether they are dealing with cheetahs, leopards, or both. Sightings of large cats have become more frequent, and each one seems to trigger another round of panic. Some villagers even claim to have seen cheetahs lurking near their homes, further fuelling suspicions that the big cats might be behind the recent spate of attacks.
Last week villagers took matters into their own hands, attacking a family of cheetahs. The cheetahs-Jwala, a female, and her four cubs-had ventured beyond the boundaries of Kuno National Park in search of food.
As they spotted a herd of calves grazing near the Sheopur-Gwalior railway line, the cheetahs moved in for a hunt. Unfortunately for them, the hunt didn’t go unnoticed. A large crowd of villagers, fearing for their livestock, surrounded the cheetahs.
With sticks and stones in hand, they began pelting the animals, trying to drive them away. In the chaos, Jwala and her cubs abandoned the hunt and fled into the forest to escape the assault.
