Mystery Shrouds Serial Deaths Of Cheetahs

The back-to-back deaths of two cheetahs at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh have turned into a mystery. Officials of the wildlife and forest department are unable to identify the actual reasons behind the serial deaths and wondering if Project Cheetah, aimed at reviving the population in the country, is a failure. Though eight cheetahs imported from Namibia and South Africa have died in just five months, the authorities say it is too early to declare that the project a failure.

The wounds on the neck of the animals deepened the mystery further. The authorities are trying to understand if the survival of the felines in Indian climate is a challenge for the animals.

Two male cheetahs, Tejas and Suraj, died within a gap of two days, last week. Suraj, which weighed 55 kg in February, reduced to 43 kg during the time of death. In addition, the wounds on the neck of the animals raised suspicion about the maintenance staff at the enclosures. It is being said that the wounds on the neck could have been due to the cheetahs fighting between themselves. What had the staff, who are supposed to take care of the animals round-the-clock, been doing when the cheetahs had been fighting with each other? Similarly, why did not they alert the authorities when Suraj began losing weight? These and several other questions came to the fore following the death of the cheetahs.

One other explanation for the wounds on the neck was the radio collars worn around the animals’ neck which resulted in infection at the place. However, the wildlife officials said that nothing could be ascertained as of now. There is a need to wait for the post-mortem report, they said, adding that only then would they be speak about what caused the death.

The government spent Rs 100 crore on Project Cheetah to revive the population of the animal, which had gone extinct several years ago. As part of the project, over twenty animals were brought to India. Eight of them, including five adults and three cubs, died so far.

A special team is also expected to arrive from Namibia to investigate into the reasons behind the death. A special committee is also being formed in the country to probe into the cheetah deaths.

Meanwhile, veterinarians said that Suraj died while being treated for the wounds on its neck. Cheetahs were brought from Namibia in September last year. Sasha from Namibia, Uday from South Africa, Daksha died due to various reasons like kidney infection, and heart failure. The environment and forest departments made it clear that they were natural deaths.

As part of the project, the government also decided to establish a Cheetah Research Centre. It has to be seen what revelations the post-mortem report would contain and what changes the authorities would introduce to increase the better the survival chances of the cheetahs.