Yet another cheetah is dead at Kuno National Park, eighth in 5 months

In distressing news from Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, the untimely death of a male cheetah this morning (July 14) marks the eighth fatality among the big cat population in approximately five months. Suraj, an African cheetah, was found lifeless at Kuno in the early hours of the morning. Authorities are currently investigating the precise cause of Suraj's demise.

Suraj was translocated from Namibia to India in September 2022, along with seven others.

Just three days ago (July 11), another four-year-old South African male cheetah named Tejas perished due to a neck injury.

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A series of fatalities

• Suraj's death occurred merely two weeks after his release from the enclosure, making it the second fatality within a week.
• These deaths add to the list of previous losses, including Sasha, who succumbed to kidney disease in March 2023, Uday, who suffered from cardio-pulmonary failure in April, and Daksha, a female cheetah killed during a mating attempt with a male.

• In May 2023, a young cheetah cub from Siyaya's litter, only around two months old, tragically passed away as well. Initially, it was suspected that the cub succumbed to frailty. Shortly after the first cub's demise, two more cheetah cubs from Siyaya's litter met the same fate within the same month.

Raising concerns

• The alarming number of African cheetah deaths within the past five months undoubtedly raises doubts about the success of the Cheetah Conservation Project at Kuno National Park.
• These deaths appear to be a setback for the ambitious cheetah reintroduction program launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year.
• Despite the Central Government denying any lapses in conservation efforts after previous cheetah deaths, citing high infant mortality rates among cheetahs, the increasing casualties now raise concerns regarding the project's viability and long-term success.

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• However, the recent wave of mortalities, including the unfortunate loss of cheetah cubs due to extreme weather conditions and dehydration, has significantly impacted the project's timeline. While experts highlight that cub mortality is relatively high among cheetahs, ensuring the survival of the fittest, the ongoing fatalities underscore the challenges involved in reintroducing cheetahs to their native habitats.

The cheetah reintroduction project

The cheetah reintroduction project, which brought eight cheetahs from Namibia and later introduced an additional 12 from South Africa, aimed to revive the cheetah population in India.

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