Two cheetah cubs found dead in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh
Sheopur: On Wednesday morning, two dead cheetah kittens were discovered in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. The official statement states that a wildlife monitoring team headed by veterinarians examined the female cheetah ‘Nirva”s den location based on radiotelemetry data.
After searching the area, they found the disfigured carcasses of two newborn calves and no more cubs.
Nirva is still in good health. The reason of death will be ascertained by a postmortem, and samples from the cubs have been submitted for testing.
It is said that the 12 cubs and the remaining cheetahs are doing well.
After a female cheetah gave birth to cubs in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park earlier on Tuesday, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia praised the accomplishments achieved under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Cheetah Project.”
Scindia posted on social media X, saying, “Excellent news! Once again, there are shouts of happiness at Kuno National Park. The babies of Nirva, a female cheetah, have been born. This triumph is a significant accomplishment for the ambitious ‘Cheetah Project’ of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. My greetings and warmest regards to the whole Kuno administration and forest department staff on this joyous occasion.”
The goal of Project Cheetah was to bring the almost extinct cheetah back to the nation.
Twenty cheetahs were transported to Kuno National Park as part of the species’ first-ever transcontinental movement; eight came from Namibia in September 2022 and twelve from South Africa in February 2023. With eight adult cheetahs—three females and five males—died since their arrival, the project has encountered difficulties.
There has been some reproductive success in spite of these obstacles; 12 of the 17 cubs born in India have survived, increasing the total number of cheetahs in Kuno, including cubs, to 24. At Kuno, all 24 cheetahs are housed. Even after two years of Project Cheetah, not a single cheetah is still free to wander the wild.
To guarantee coordinated efforts in the rewilding initiative, authorities have initiated talks with neighboring states, such as Rajasthan and other Madhya Pradesh districts. According to the officials, preparations have been made and state authorities have been notified.
India intends to increase the number of cheetahs in other appropriate habitats in addition to Kuno. Additionally, preparations are being finalized for the introduction of elephants to Madhya Pradesh’s Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
