The Crossbill News Desk
A five-month-old cheetah cub died at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Monday (August 5), news agency PTI reported, citing unidentified wildlife officials.
The cub was born to Gamini, a cheetah relocated from South Africa to Kuno. Gamini had given birth to six cubs in March, but her first cub died in June.
Seven of the 20 cheetahs brought from Africa, along with five cubs born in India, have died at Kuno National Park since 2023. Currently, the park is home to 13 adult cheetahs and 12 cubs.
On the evening of July 29, during routine monitoring, authorities discovered that one of Gamini’s five remaining cubs was unable to lift its hind end and was instead dragging its hind body while trying to move around.
“On further observation, the cub was seen dragging the entire hind portion of its body. It was immediately rescued and brought to the hospital. There, it was found that the cub’s vertebral column was fractured,” PTI quoted an unidentified wildlife official as saying.
On Monday morning, the cub's health deteriorated rapidly, leading to its death despite receiving emergency treatment, PTI reported.
Subharanjan Sen, the acting principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), while speaking to The Indian Express said, “We must wait for Kuno officials to ascertain how the cub sustained the injury. We have heard that the cub probably sustained the injury while playing with its siblings.”
The much-vaunted Project Cheetah, which began with the release of eight Namibian cheetahs into Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on September 17, 2022, seven decades after the species was declared extinct in the country. The second batch of 12 cheetahs was flown in from South Africa last February.
Last month the Madhya Pradesh forest department declined to disclose information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding the management of cheetahs brought from Africa and their cubs born in India.
The cub was born to Gamini, a cheetah relocated from South Africa to Kuno. Gamini had given birth to six cubs in March, but her first cub died in June.
Seven of the 20 cheetahs brought from Africa, along with five cubs born in India, have died at Kuno National Park since 2023. Currently, the park is home to 13 adult cheetahs and 12 cubs.
On the evening of July 29, during routine monitoring, authorities discovered that one of Gamini’s five remaining cubs was unable to lift its hind end and was instead dragging its hind body while trying to move around.
“On further observation, the cub was seen dragging the entire hind portion of its body. It was immediately rescued and brought to the hospital. There, it was found that the cub’s vertebral column was fractured,” PTI quoted an unidentified wildlife official as saying.
On Monday morning, the cub's health deteriorated rapidly, leading to its death despite receiving emergency treatment, PTI reported.
Subharanjan Sen, the acting principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), while speaking to The Indian Express said, “We must wait for Kuno officials to ascertain how the cub sustained the injury. We have heard that the cub probably sustained the injury while playing with its siblings.”
The much-vaunted Project Cheetah, which began with the release of eight Namibian cheetahs into Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on September 17, 2022, seven decades after the species was declared extinct in the country. The second batch of 12 cheetahs was flown in from South Africa last February.
Last month the Madhya Pradesh forest department declined to disclose information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding the management of cheetahs brought from Africa and their cubs born in India.
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