BHOPAL: Another Cheetah, Uday, who was brought from South Africa, died during treatment after falling ill at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, State Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) JS Chauhan said on Sunday.
“The reason for death is yet to be ascertained,” CCF Chauhan added.
On March 27, a five-year-old female cheetah, Sasha, died of kidney related ailment.
It was found that the cheetah, Shasha, was suffering from a kidney infection before she was brought to India.
Shasha was one among the eight cheetahs that were brought from Namibia to India last year.
While cheetah, Uday, was among the first batch of 12 cheetahs (7 males, 5 females) that were translocated from South Africa to India on February 17, 2023.
Notably, PM Modi released the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia at Kuno National Park on the occasion of his birthday on September 17, last year.
The cheetah was declared extinct from India in 1952 but 8 cheetahs (5 females and 3 males) were brought from Africa’s Namibia as part of ‘Project Cheetah’ and the government’s efforts to revitalise and diversify the country’s wildlife and habitat.
Later on, 12 more Cheetahs were brought from South Africa and rehabilitated to Kuno National Park on February 18.
The translocation of 12 cheetahs from South Africa to Gwalior and onwards to Kuno National Park through Helicopters was executed by the Indian Air Force.
Under the ambitious Project Cheetah of the Indian government, the reintroduction of wild species particularly cheetahs was undertaken according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines.
India has a long history of wildlife conservation. One of the most successful wildlife conservation ventures ‘Project Tiger’, which was initiated way back in 1972, has not only contributed to the conservation of tigers but also to the entire ecosystem. (ANI)