Two cubs born to African cheetah Neerva were found dead and their mutilated carcasses were recovered at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, an official said.

A team of forest staffers monitoring the movement of cheetahs received signals through radio telemetry about Neerva was away from her den, following which they along with veterinarians rushed to the spot for inspection and found mutilated carcasses of the two cubs inside, he said.

"After inspecting all possible places inside the boma, they concluded that no proof was found about the existence of any more cheetah cubs," the official said.

Confusion prevailed on Monday over the exact number of cubs that Neerva gave birth to. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had initially shared on social media that four cubs were born to her, but later deleted the post and said the forest department will confirm the exact number of the newborns soon.

The official said Neerva is found to be healthy.

"The samples of the dead cubs were collected and sent for examination. The exact cause of their death will be known once we get a lab report," he said, adding that all other adult cheetahs and 12 cubs are in a healthy condition.

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