A six-year-old cheetah brought from South Africa died on Sunday in the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The cheetah, identified as Uday, was brought to India with 11 others.

Forest officials said the autopsy was yet to be conducted, following which the cause of his death could be ascertained. Uday is the second cheetah to die in the national park within a month. In March, Sasha, another cheetah, died due to renal failure. She was brought to India from Namibia.

"The wildlife medical team inspected the cheetah and he appeared sick. The doctors and cheetah expert from Cheetah Conservation Fund decided to shift to a quarantine Boma (enclosure) immediately," JS Chauhan, the MP forest chief wildlife warden, said, Hindustan Times reported.

Also Read: 12 cheetahs brought from South Africa released in acclimatisation enclosure at Kuno National Park

"During routine check at around 9am on Sunday, Uday was found sitting in a lethargic state. When forest experts approached him, he got up and staggered a bit," an official said.

Two hours later, the feline lost consciousness and was then shifted for further treatment to an isolation ward.

Chauhan said Uday died around 4pm during treatment, and there would be clarity over the cause of his death only after an autopsy.

Vincent Van Der Merwe, a South African cheetah expert, said the Uday was very healthy before he was shifted to Boma in 2022 for the translocation project to India. After being in captivity for 10 months, the cheetah lost his fitness levels and was suffering from chronic stress, he said, adding that, it is important the cheetahs are sent back to the wild as they are unhappy in cages.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in September last year released eight cheetahs that were brought from Namibia, as the first batch of the translocation project.

Also Read: Cheetah brought from Namibia to India gives birth to four cubs

Relocate cheetahs, forest officials write to Centre

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh state forest officials have sought the relocation of the cheetahs citing logistical constraints.

“We need nine staffers to keep an eye on one cheetah round-the-clock. We don’t have enough hands,” the official told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Asked about the space shortage, the official said it was secondary and added that “not just space, we need a lot of logistics.”

Notably, before the cheetahs were imported, some experts had raised doubt over the space shortage likely to affect the cheetah reintroduction project at the Kuno National Park (KNP), which has a core area of 748 sq km and buffer zone of 487 sq km.

MP Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) JS Chauhan told PTI that his department has written a letter to the National Tiger Conservation (NTCA) requesting for an alternate place for the cheetahs.

“If we start developing our sites like the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary or the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in MP as alternate sites, it will take two years and three years respectively,” an official said.

According to reports, preparations and permissions are being obtained for relocation to Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.

“This protected area has an 80 km fence enclosure, sufficiently stocked with game (place with herbivores population), to hold serial escapees. This enclosure is free of tigers, but does support a low density of leopards, wolves and striped hyenas,” the letter said.

“It can be considered a guaranteed success site for the establishment of a wild cheetah population and will hopefully provide surplus cheetahs for relocation to other protected areas in India in near future,” it stated.

(With agencies inputs)

(Edited by : Pradeep John)

First Published:Apr 24, 2023 10:32 AM IST