<p>Two male cheetahs at Kuno national park received injuries on Tuesday while fighting two others for space with the officials claiming that the injured cheetahs are under veterinary care and responding well to the medical treatment.</p>.<p>South African male cheetahs Vayu and Agni were attacked by two younger Namibian cheetahs. All of them were in the wild. The park staff managed to swiftly intervene, separating the animals to avoid further conflict.</p>.<p>“Two cheetahs at Kuno are in hospital after fighting with another two. They are under treatment and responding well,” one of the officials told <em>DH</em>. The spokesperson for the Union Environment Ministry has not responded to the queries.</p>.<p>The South African male cheetahs were among the oldest of the 12 animals that reached Kuno in February. One of them is around eight years old, while the second one is over eight years.</p>.<p>The attackers, a Namibian male coalition consisting of Freddy and Elton, were younger. They were among the first batch of cheetahs that came from Namibia and were released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last September.</p>.<p>While battles for space are not uncommon among large predators, a section of wildlife experts outside the government in the past raised questions on whether Kuno national park has enough space to house a large number of cheetah population.</p>.<p>“Our understanding of the spatial ecology of cheetahs, which the Cheetah Action Plan hasn't taken into consideration, suggests that Kuno is just too small to host a viable population of cheetahs,” Ravi Chellam, CEO of Metastring Foundation and Coordinator of Biodiversity Collaborative told <em>DH</em>.</p>.<p>"As more cheetahs are released, especially males, such conflicts are likely to happen at elevated rates and the cheetahs will also range well beyond the boundaries of Kuno National Park.”</p>.<p>Out of 20 cheetahs that were brought from Namibia and South Africa, three died and 11 have been released in the wild. A decision on releasing the others will be taken after the monsoon.</p>.<p>“At the population level, with 10 individuals within Kuno NP, the density has gone above densities recorded in unfenced systems in Africa. While we cannot attribute a single, opportunistic, territorial fight to the high density situation, this event demonstrates why territorial males will prefer to space themselves apart in due course and why the action plan has likely overestimated the carrying capacity within Kuno NP,” said ecologist Arjun Gopalaswamy, Chief Scientist, Carnassials Global.</p>.<p>Last month, officials said a second site at Gandhisagar would be ready by around November, while work had begun on Nauradehi wildlife sanctuary for housing the felines at a later date. But there is no decision on Mukundara Hills in Rajasthan so far.</p>
<p>Two male cheetahs at Kuno national park received injuries on Tuesday while fighting two others for space with the officials claiming that the injured cheetahs are under veterinary care and responding well to the medical treatment.</p>.<p>South African male cheetahs Vayu and Agni were attacked by two younger Namibian cheetahs. All of them were in the wild. The park staff managed to swiftly intervene, separating the animals to avoid further conflict.</p>.<p>“Two cheetahs at Kuno are in hospital after fighting with another two. They are under treatment and responding well,” one of the officials told <em>DH</em>. The spokesperson for the Union Environment Ministry has not responded to the queries.</p>.<p>The South African male cheetahs were among the oldest of the 12 animals that reached Kuno in February. One of them is around eight years old, while the second one is over eight years.</p>.<p>The attackers, a Namibian male coalition consisting of Freddy and Elton, were younger. They were among the first batch of cheetahs that came from Namibia and were released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last September.</p>.<p>While battles for space are not uncommon among large predators, a section of wildlife experts outside the government in the past raised questions on whether Kuno national park has enough space to house a large number of cheetah population.</p>.<p>“Our understanding of the spatial ecology of cheetahs, which the Cheetah Action Plan hasn't taken into consideration, suggests that Kuno is just too small to host a viable population of cheetahs,” Ravi Chellam, CEO of Metastring Foundation and Coordinator of Biodiversity Collaborative told <em>DH</em>.</p>.<p>"As more cheetahs are released, especially males, such conflicts are likely to happen at elevated rates and the cheetahs will also range well beyond the boundaries of Kuno National Park.”</p>.<p>Out of 20 cheetahs that were brought from Namibia and South Africa, three died and 11 have been released in the wild. A decision on releasing the others will be taken after the monsoon.</p>.<p>“At the population level, with 10 individuals within Kuno NP, the density has gone above densities recorded in unfenced systems in Africa. While we cannot attribute a single, opportunistic, territorial fight to the high density situation, this event demonstrates why territorial males will prefer to space themselves apart in due course and why the action plan has likely overestimated the carrying capacity within Kuno NP,” said ecologist Arjun Gopalaswamy, Chief Scientist, Carnassials Global.</p>.<p>Last month, officials said a second site at Gandhisagar would be ready by around November, while work had begun on Nauradehi wildlife sanctuary for housing the felines at a later date. But there is no decision on Mukundara Hills in Rajasthan so far.</p>
