Kuno National Park: 8th cheetah dies; neck, back injuries found
In yet another devastating development for India's cheetah reintroduction program, a male African cheetah named Suraj was reportedly found dead at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Friday. A preliminary investigation found wounds on its neck and back to be the reason for its death. With this, the number of cheetah deaths climbed to eight at the national park in four months.
Why does this story matter?
It's worth noting that the eight deaths also include three of the first four cheetah cubs born in India in more than 75 years. What is more worrying is Suraj was the first cheetah to die outside the enclosure in the wild. Furthermore, these deaths have raised questions regarding India's cheetah conservation efforts and what exactly was happening with cheetahs at the national park.
Death of 8th cheetah at Kuno National Park
According to Economic Times, Suraj was found by a monitoring team on Friday morning lying still in the Masavani beat of the Palpur East Forest Range. Upon getting closer, they noticed injury marks on the cheetah's back and neck, but then the cheetah "swiftly" ran away. Reportedly, forest officials and veterinarians rushed to the spot but found the cheetah dead at around 9:00am.
Cheetah may have got infection because of collar: Top official
Madhya Pradesh Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) JS Chauhan told The Indian Express one of the reasons behind Suraj's death could be an infection caused by the satellite collar around its neck. "We are looking into this aspect... The cheetah may have got an infection...because of the collar. It may have even scratched at the collar resulting in a subsequent infection," Chauhan added.
Another cheetah passed away at Kuno earlier this week
Notably, Suraj's death came just a few days after another male cheetah named Tejas passed away at the national park. The post-mortem examination of Tejas reportedly revealed that the big cat could not recover from the "traumatic shock" after a fight with another cheetah. At five-and-a-half years, Tejas's weight was reportedly much below average, and the autopsy found "compromised internal organs."
All about recent cheetah deaths
Cheetah deaths in India started on March 27, after a female big cat named Sasha died from a kidney ailment. On April 23, a male cheetah named Uday passed away from cardio-pulmonary failure, and a female cheetah named Daksha lost her life on May 9 following a violent encounter. Reportedly, two more cheetah cubs succumbed to "dehydration" and "extreme weather conditions" on May 25.
Success is not losing more than 50%: Former CCF adviser
Speaking to The Times of India regarding the recent deaths of cheetahs, former Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) adviser Susan Yannetti said, "Success is not losing more than 50% of the translocated cats during the first year." "We are at 10 months and have lost 25%. So, in perspective, this project is still ahead," added the former adviser.
Know about India's 'Project Cheetah'
As part of the cheetah reintroduction program initiated in September last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia to India and released at the Kuno National Park. Twelve more cheetahs were flown over from South Africa in February this year, out of which six live in various enclosures at the national park, and the rest live in the wild.
