One more cheetah, Pavan, has died, forest officials from Madhya Pradesh confirmed on Tuesday (August 27, 2024). This is the eighth cheetah, part of the 20 brought from South Africa and Namibia, to have died in India. While cheetahs have died from a variety of causes, the latest is an unusual instance of an animal dying from ‘drowning’.
“...Male cheetah Pavan was found lying near the edge of a nalah [drain] amidst bushes without any movement. The nalah was running full due to rains. Vets were informed and on closer inspection, it was found that the front half of the body including head was inside the water with no external injuries seen anywhere on the body. Preliminary cause of death seems to be due to drowning,” a press note from forest officials said.
“Generally wild cats are good swimmers. So it is unusual to hear of a death from drowning. We’ll need more details,” a person familiar with the Project Cheetah programme said.
Currently most of the cheetahs are in special enclosures and are expected to be released into the wild from October, with the cessation of the monsoons. Pavan, who is among the cheetahs from Namibia, was the only one of the cheetahs who was released into the wild. All the animals are reportedly under surveillance via radio-collars and their movement tracked.
