Female cheetah dies in MP's Kuno National Park; third death in 42 days

A cheetah looks on after being sedated, before being flown with eleven others from South Africa to India under an agreement between the two governments to introduce the African cats to the South Asian country over the next decade, at Rooiberg veterinary facility, Limpopo province, South Africa, February 17, 2023. Credit: Reuters Photo

A female cheetah died at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on Tuesday making it the third death among 20 imported cheetahs that were brought from Namibia and South Africa with the aim of repopulating cheetahs in India nearly 75 years after they became extinct.

The three deaths happened within the last 45 days as the animals were gradually released first in a large enclosure where they can hunt and ultimately in the wild. So far three Namibian cheetahs have been released in the jungle as free-ranging animals.

“The female cheetah Daksha released from South Africa in Kuno National Park was found fatally injured by the monitoring team this morning at 10:45 am. Treatment was done by the veterinarians but the cheetah died tragically at 12.00 noon,” the Union Environment Ministry said in a statement.

Read | Lions can be brought to Kuno once cheetahs stabilise, says wildlife expert Divyabhanusinh

Prima facie, the wounds found on the female cheetah seemed to have been caused by a violent interaction with the males during the courtship or mating attempt, officials said, noting that such violent behaviours by male coalition cheetahs during mating were common.

In such a situation, the chances of intervention by the monitoring team are almost non-existent and practically impossible. The autopsy of the dead female cheetah was carried out by the veterinary team as per the protocol.

“An adult male coalition consisting of Vayu and Agni, also known as the White Walkers, had a violent interaction with the adult female, Daksha. Regrettably, Daksha lost her life in this incident. But it is not unusual for male cheetahs to exhibit aggressive behaviour towards each other as well as towards females,” said Vincent van dan Merwe, manager, Cheetah Metapopulation Project and one of the South African experts advising India on the cheetah translocation project.

“Cheetahs killing other cheetahs account for 8 per cent of cheetah mortality in the southern African metapopulation. This is normal. The cheetahs have high mortality rates,” he told DH.

The first death happened on March 27 when a Namibian cheetah named Sasha died due to renal failure whereas the second death occurred a month later when a South African cat named Uday died mysteriously after showing neuromuscular symptoms. The autopsy showed brain haemorrhage. The exact cause of death for the second cheetah remains unknown.

The third cheetah death happened a day after the ministry said five animals would be released in free-roaming conditions before the onset of monsoon in June. A decision on the second home for the cheetahs will be taken after reviewing their conditions post monsoon.