INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Amid deaths of eight cheetahs, including three cubs born on Indian soil, in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in the past four
months, the environment ministry on Sunday said Project Cheetah is yet to complete a year and it will be premature to conclude the outcome
in terms of success and failure since cheetah introduction is a long-term project.Read Also'All mortalities due to natural causes': MoEFCC
clarifies on Cheetah deaths in KunoMinistry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has responded to a spate of cheetah deaths
in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, saying that five of the 20 adult cheetahs translocated to the park died naturally
The ministry added that there were no signs of foul play.Kuno: Cheetah death mystery deepens, autopsy shows diseased organsThe mysterious
death of a cheetah named Tejas - the seventh cheetah death in less than four months - raises some uncomfortable questions about what's the
translocated animals' condition behind the walls and in the enclosures of Kuno National Park.In 4 months, 8th cheetah found dead in Madhya
The sub-adult male had injuries similar to those sustained by cheetah Tejas, which died in mysterious circumstances just three daysAnother
district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday
It may have been injured in a territorial fight, say sources
Four of the 20 cheetahs translocated from Namibia and South Africa, and three of four cubs born atIt said it is optimistic that the project
will succeed in the long run and there is no reason to speculate at this juncture.The ministry said as per the preliminary analysis, done by
attributing these cheetah deaths to other reasons, including their radio collars etc
The NTCA is the apex body entrusted with the implementation of Project Cheetah.Referring to global experience with cheetah translocation to
new habitats, the ministry said that cheetah has been brought back to India after seven decades and a project of such a stature is bound to
African countries has resulted in more than 50% mortality of introduced cheetahs
The mortality of cheetah may happen due to intra-species fights, diseases, accidents before release and post release
Mortalities might also result from injury caused during hunting of prey, poaching, road hits, poisoning and predatory attack by other
to Kuno National Park, in a first ever transcontinental wild-to-wild translocation
After the mandatory quarantine period, all cheetahs were shifted to larger acclimatisation enclosures
Currently, 11 cheetahs are under free ranging condition and five animals, including a cub born on Indian soil, are within quarantine
