In a major setback to India’s ambitious Cheetah reintroduction project, one of the 12 cheetahs flown in this February from South Africa to Kuno National Park in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh, succumbed on Sunday suddenly.
Cheetah Uday – a wild male captured close to the Matlabas River in the Waterberg region of South Africa was estimated to be approximately 6 years old. It was wild and healthy when transported to Kuno under the intercontinental effort to revive its population in India that disappeared half a century back.
On Sunday morning, a team of wildlife experts was out on their daily mission to monitor the majestic and swift cheetahs that called Boma No 2 their home. As they made their rounds, they were drawn to a curious sight – Uday, the male cheetah, was found sitting in a stupor, his head bowed low in exhaustion.
Alarmed by this sudden change in Uday’s condition, the team immediately contacted the wildlife doctors who were overseeing the cheetahs in another part of the Boma. The doctors arrived on the scene and diagnosed that Uday needed urgent medical attention.
Without a moment’s delay, the experts decided to quarantine Uday for immediate treatment, a decision that was relayed to the Chief Conservator of Forest.
The Chief Conservator of Forests acted swiftly, giving the necessary permission to tranquilize Uday and provide him with the care that he needed. Around 11 am, Uday was rendered unconscious and given treatment on the spot.
Despite the best efforts of the medical team, Uday’s health continued to deteriorate, and he eventually passed away at around 4 pm. The cause of his untimely demise will only be revealed through an autopsy report by a team of wildlife doctors.
Earlier a female cheetah, Sasha, one among the eight cheetahs that were brought from Namibia to India last year died of a kidney-related ailment on March 27 casting a shadow on the Centre’s ambitious plan to introduce 50 cheetahs in five years. Sasha was diagnosed with a kidney ailment back in January this year. She was airlifted, along with seven other cheetahs from Namibia to Kuno on September 17, 2022.
