Cheetah cubs born
A South African female Cheetah, Neerva, has given birth to cubs at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh. According KNP officials, the number of cubs is not yet known.
In a setback to the ambitious Cheetah Reintroduction Project in India, a four-year-old female cheetah ‘Sasha’ was found dead in the park by forest officials on Monday. She was one of the cheetahs brought from Namibia to the Kuno Palpur national park in Madhya Pradesh,
According to officials, the female cheetah had been unwell with infection in her kidney and liver since January this year. Officials said veterinary doctors had treated the feline and she had responded to the treatment.
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However, forest staff who keep regular watch on the cheetahs, found Sasha dead inside the park premises yesterday.
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The cheetahs were brought back from extinction in India after more than 70 years, with the first batch of eight cheetahs, including Sasha, inter-continentally translocated from Namibia to the Kuno national park. PM Narendra Modi had released these cheetahs into specially created quarantine quarters inside the park on his birthday on 17 September 2022.
A second batch of 12 cheetahs was also brought later from South Africa and released in the park on 18 February this year, taking the total number of cheetahs in the park to 20.
With the death of Sasha, there are now 19 cheetahs left in the Kuno Palpur National park.
According to MP Forest Department Additional Chief Secretary J N Kansotia, forest officials and doctors have been instructed to find out in detail the exact causes leading to the cheetah’s death.
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