8 African cheetahs die in KNP; conservationists call for radical measures to save animal

Bhopal: After another male cheetah--Suraj, translocated from Africa, died at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh, the number of Cheetah deaths increased to 8 since March this year.

On July 14, Cheetah Suraj was found lying still in Palpur East Forest Range's Masavani beat by a monitoring team at 11 am. When they went closer, they found insects hovering over its neck, but it then rose and ran away.

The monitoring team spotted some injury marks on the neck of Suraj in enclosure number 6. After getting due approval for tranquilizing the injured Cheetah, a team of veterinarians reached the spot at around 2 pm, but the feline was found dead.

According to the forest officials, this is for the first time that a cheetah died in the free range. Veterinarians found injury marks on his back and neck. "The exact cause of Suraj's death will be known from the post-mortem report. A detailed report was awaited," said Madhya Pradesh forest minister Vijay Shah.

Fastest land animal got extinct in 1952

In September 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first batch of eight Namibian cheetahs -- five female and three male at Kuno in Madhya Pradesh. In February 2023, 12 cheetahs were flown in from South Africa and released into Kuno on February 18. By July, 12 cheetahs were released in free range.

This project was part of an ambitious reintroduction program after the fastest land animal which went extinct in 1952. The last Cheetah died in India in the Koriya district in present-day Chhattisgarh in 1947, and the species was declared extinct.

The PM had been photographed taking pictures of the cheetahs when they had landed in KNP from Namibia in southern Africa.

8 Cheetahs died

So far, eight cheetahs have died since March--- including Tejas, Suraj, and three cubs. The total count of felines at the national park has now dropped to 16.

Four cubs of Cheetah Jwala were born in the wild on Indian soil for the first time. However, in May 2023 three cubs died suffered severe dehydration and malnutrition during a recent heatwave in Madhya Pradesh, where temperatures soared to as high as 47 degrees Celsius.

Another four-year-old African male cheetah--Tejas, died in the park on July 11. The monitoring team found some injuries on its neck. The autopsy report revealed the five-and-a-half-year-old Cheetah (Tejas) was internally weak and unable to recover from a traumatic shock after a violent fight with a female cheetah. The autopsy report said that the Cheetah weighed around 43 kilograms, which is less than the weight of normal male cheetahs, and his internal body parts were not functioning properly. The chances of his turning healthy in such a situation were quite less.

One of the Namibian Cheetahs--Sasha, succumbed to a kidney-related ailment on March 27

Cheetah Uday, from South Africa, died on April 13.

Daksha--a cheetah brought from South Africa, died of injuries following a violent interaction with a male feline during a mating attempt on May 9.

Male Cheetah--Suraj, translocated from Africa died on July 14.

According to the officials, the three cubs that died were malnourished from birth, while other deaths were from fights during mating or eating, which is common among animals.

Are radio collars for Cheetah a problem?

It may be noticed that both Suraj and Tejas had injuries on the neck before their death. The forest officials use satellite transmitters on the radio collars to track the cheetah movements.

Speaking to NewsMeter, a Wildlife Conservationist who runs an organization in India, said, "GPS Collars will cause open wounds only if they are affixed improperly (tight/without leaving margin). Otherwise, animals have been collared for long durations with no such complications. But If there's a wound on the neck (caused by the tight collar or anything else), it will worsen with collar presence and rains (moisture) for sure. The skin under the collar becomes infected due to constant moistness, which results in an infection brought on by flies and maggots, eventually causing death."

Wildlife Conservationists' said officials have to catch all and check if collars are fitted properly. Wildlife officials should immediately examine all remaining cheetahs for signs of infection.

Officials say no negligence

Rejecting any allegation of mismanagement leading to the deaths, MP forest minister Vijay Shah said, "The entire Indian government, South African government, Namibia government, entire hawk force is involved in the management of cheetahs, and everything is being done as per their directions."

"Therefore, it is not proper to say these deaths were due to negligence. Prime Minister's Office is keeping a close watch on everything. Everything is being done in the direction of the PMO. There is no negligence on our part," he said

Congress demands plan to protect cheetahs

MP Congress chief Kamal Nath took the state government to task over the eight deaths claiming the latter had not come forward with any plan or taken the initiative to conserve the big cats.

Without naming the PM, Nath said "Making wild animals an object of display for the political show doesn't look nice for an elected representative". "I urge those responsible for the upkeep of the big cats to consult environmentalists and scientists to chalk out a plan immediately which will protect the lives of these animals," Nath added.

Congress MP Digvijaya Singh ridiculed the Centre over the cheetah deaths and said "photographer Modiji" must click pictures of the incident.

Challenges in unfenced areas

Namibia-based Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), which is helping the Indian government reintroduce the animals in the country said the project is progressing well beyond the initial projections made before the animals were translocated. However, they have cautioned the Indian authorities of more challenges as the remaining cheetahs are released into unfenced areas of the Kuno National Park.

The CCF opined that it's too early to label Project Cheetah a success. But, so far, the cheetahs have shown every ability to survive in India. There's a long road ahead, and there will be more setbacks, but from the perspective of the longest-running cheetah conservation project in Africa, the CCF considers things in India to be moving well.

After the death of three adult cheetahs and a few cubs, a tweet was posted by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in June, "With its 33-year-old history of working with cheetahs in the wild, Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia, remains optimistic about Project Cheetah'sCheetah's long-term success in India. CCF says Project Cheetah is on the right track. We take responsibility for whatever happened". But he asserted that the translocation project will be a major success.

Leopard a natural competitor to Cheetah

According to the CCF, the leopard is a natural competitor of the Cheetah. But in India, the density of leopards at Kuno is far greater than in African ecosystems, which may lead to increased pressure on the cheetahs.

In Kuno National Park, other large carnivores are not known to cheetahs which include wolves, sloth bears, dhole dogs, and dispersing tigers that wander from a nearby reserve. Any interactions between cheetahs and these species will be precedent-setting in modern times.

Inputs from PTI