Another Cheetah Dies at Kuno National Park, 7th in 3 Months

Bhopal: A male cheetah named Tejas has died at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, making it the seventh big cat casualty there in three months.

The monitoring team observed injuries on the cheetah’s neck around 11 AM today and alerted doctors, who inspected the animal and sedated him to treat the injuries. However, the cheetah died at around 2 PM.

The cause of death is still unknown, but the injuries are being probed. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

This is the seventh cheetah to die at the park since March. The previous six deaths were due to a variety of causes, including kidney ailment, cardio-pulmonary failure, and a violent interaction with a male during a mating attempt.

The Centre has denied any lapses behind the deaths of the cheetahs, but South African wildlife expert Vincent van der Merwe has predicted that more deaths are likely in the coming months as the cheetahs try to establish territories and come face to face with leopards and tigers at the park.

The reintroduction of cheetahs to India is a long-awaited project, and the recent deaths have been a setback. However, wildlife experts are hopeful that the project will be successful in the long term.