Second cheetah died of pulmonary failure: Project Cheetah official

It is possible that the animal died of overexertion, says project chief S.P. Yadav

A second cheetah died in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park after falling sick on Sunday morning, two months after it was brought to India from South Africa. File | Photo Credit: PTI

The cheetah Uday that died on Sunday probably succumbed to heart failure and suggestions that it died of poisoning (from a snake bite) or bodily harm were unfounded, S.P. Yadav, who leads Project Cheetah and is a top official in the Environment Ministry’s forestry division, told The Hindu. These findings are from the autopsy report, though a fuller analysis based on tissue samples were still awaited.

“The cheetah was in perfect health. He had in fact chased and successfully hunted a blackbuck but didn’t eat the carcass. But within 24 hours of the kill, the animal succumbed to a cardiopulmonary failure. Autopsy reports also suggest that there were lesions on the lung and heart. It’s possible that the animal died of overexertion [with the weak heart and strenuous exercise compounding it],” he said. “Like any other animal they too are governed by biology. So such deaths, while unfortunate, aren’t surprising.”

Uday is the second cheetah in the batch of 20 cheetahs brought from Africa to have died. Last month, Sasha succumbed to a kidney ailment though officials said the animal contracted the condition prior to being shipped from Namibia. One of the cheetahs, Jwala, has birthed four cubs.

Being the first transcontinental relocation of a species that had gone extinct in India, Project cheetah is under intense scrutiny with both the Madhya Pradesh wildlife officials, where the animals are located, and the Centre’s National Tiger Conservation Authority closely monitoring the animals. One of the animals had strayed beyond the bounds of the Kuno National Park into Uttar Pradesh and had to be tranquilised and brought back.

“Actually it is a good sign that the animal is wandering and exploring. It is a sign that it is adapting to the environment. However forest officials in Uttar Pradesh haven’t yet got the training that forest officials in Madhya Pradesh have had in handling the animals, so being early years in the project we need to keep the animals within the Kuno landscape,” Mr. Yadav added.

So far four animals have been released into the wild with the rest in fenced enclosures.

Published - April 26, 2023 08:49 pm IST