Cheetah deaths in Kuno | Radio collars removed for 'health examination', say officials

The radio collars of six cheetahs at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh have been removed for their “health examination” by veterinarians from the KNP and experts from Namibia and South Africa, officials said on Monday (July 24).

Notably, five adult cheetahs and three cubs have died at the KNP in Sheopur district since March this year.

Also read: 2 Kuno cheetahs died of septicemia caused by radio collars: S African expert

A total of 11 cheetahs – six male and five female – are currently inside the boma (enclosure), an official said.

“So far, the radio collars of six cheetahs have been removed by KNP veterinarians and experts from Namibia and South Africa on the ground of health examination, the official said.

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The cheetahs whose radio collars have been removed are identified as Gourav, Shourya, Pavan, Pavak, Asha and Dheera, the official said, adding “the condition of all these cheetahs is healthy.”

An official release issued on Saturday (July 22) also said, For the purpose of health examination by the veterinary team of Kuno along with experts from Namibia and South Africa, radio collars of six cheetahs have been removed.”

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Madhya Pradesh’s chief wildlife warden Aseem Shrivastava did not elaborate on the reasons behind the health examination of the felines.

Under Project Cheetah, a total of 20 radio-collared animals were imported from Namibia and South Africa to the KNP and later four cubs were born to Namibian cheetah Jwala. Out of these 24 felines, eight including three cubs have died.

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On July 16, the environment ministry said five out of the 20 adult cheetahs brought from Namibia and South Africa died due to natural causes, and media reports attributing the deaths to factors like radio collars were based on “speculation and hearsay without scientific evidence”.

The ministry also said several steps have been planned to support the cheetah project, including the establishment of a Cheetah Research Centre with facilities for rescue, rehabilitation, capacity building, and interpretation.

Also read: Another cheetah dies at Kuno National Park; death toll now touches 8 in four months

On July 20, the Supreme Court said the death of eight cheetahs in the KNP in less than one year doesn’t present a “good picture”, and asked the Centre to not make it a prestige issue and explore the possibility of shifting the animals to different sanctuaries.

(With agency inputs)