The number of felines that have died at the KNP since March rose to seven in a setback to the reintroduction programme.
Published Jul 12, 2023 | 6:01 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 12, 2023 | 6:01 PM
Seventh cheetah died in Kuno National Park. (Creative Commons)
Following the death of the seventh Cheetah in the Kuno National Park (KNP), a part of Prime Minister Modi’s ambitious project of reintroducing the feline species in India, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath, on Wednesday, 12 July, said neither cheetahs, women, nor tribal communities were safe in the state.
Talking to reporters, he said there was “chaos” in every area.
“Neither cheetahs, women, nor the tribal community are protected here. Only contractors and the corrupt are protected,” the former chief minister said when asked about the recent death of a translocated cheetah.
“Be it the issue of cheetahs or tribals, where is the proper arrangement? It is a matter of great sadness to see the direction in which Madhya Pradesh is being dragged,” Nath said.
With one more cheetah dying on Tuesday, the number of felines that have died at the KNP since March rose to seven in a setback to the reintroduction programme launched in September 2022.
The latest death came a day after two more male cheetahs were released into the wild at KNP.
“Cheetah Tejas, aged around four years, died in KNP due to suspected infighting,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Wildlife JS Chauhan told PTI.
The feline, brought from South Africa as part of the cheetah reintroduction programme, was in an enclosure at the time of the incident, the official said.
Cheetah Jwala had given birth to four cubs in March this year, but three of them died due to dehydration and weakness in May.
Four cubs of Jwala, earlier named Siyaya and brought from Namibia in September 2022, were born in the wild on Indian soil for the first time after the last cheetah was hunted in the Korea district of present-day Chhattisgarh in 1947.
One of the Namibian cheetahs, Sasha, succumbed to a kidney-related ailment on 27 March, while another cheetah, Uday, from South Africa, died on 13 April.
Daksha, a cheetah brought from South Africa, died of injuries following a violent interaction with a male feline during a mating attempt on 9 May.
Eight Namibian cheetahs — five female and three male — were released into enclosures at KNP on 17 September last year at a high-profile event attended by Prime Minister Modi.
In February this year, 12 more cheetahs arrived at KNP from South Africa.
From 24 cheetahs — 20 translocated from Namibia and South Africa and four cubs born at KNP — the total count of felines at the national park has now dropped to 17.
The fastest land animal was declared extinct in the country in 1952.
Earlier, another forest official said two more cheetahs — Prabhash and Pavak — were released into the wild at KNP on Monday, taking the count of felines brought from South Africa to 12.
(With PTI inputs)
