Chetan Cheetah

Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, the first home to translocated cheetahs in India, continues to struggle with a high leopard population and a low prey base, while the twin challenges have delayed preparations at the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary that will be the second site for cheetah introduction. Summary records from meetings of the Centre's Cheetah Project Steering Committee reveal that prey augmentation and leopard management are among the major challenges facing the grand initiative since the reintroduction of cheetahs in India in September 2022. The low prey density is also one of the reasons why cheetahs spent an extended period in enclosures in Kuno after being brought back from the wild in August last year, following the death of three cheetahs due to septicemia. As an interim solution, authorities have been introducing prey into both Kuno and Gandhi Sagar that is also in Madhya Pradesh. The high leopard population in both areas also prompted the initiation of a ...

African cheetahs brought to India as part of the world's first intercontinental translocation of big cats will soon be released into the wild, nearly a year after they were returned to enclosures in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park for health check-ups and monitoring, according to officials. Officials told PTI that the Centre's Cheetah Project Steering Committee on Friday decided to release the African cheetahs and their cubs, born in India, into the wild in a phased manner after the monsoon withdraws from central parts of the country. "Members of the committee and NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) officials conducted field visits to Kuno and discussed the schedule for releasing the cheetahs. While adult cheetahs will be released into the wild in phases once the rains end, the cubs and their mothers will be released after December," an official said. All 25 cheetahs -- 13 adults and 12 cubs -- are doing well, according to the official. The first batch of eight cheetah

The death of the big cat was reported at 3.17 pm on Tuesday, officials said

Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) in Bhubaneswar is set to receive a pair of cheetahs, six lions, chimpanzees, lemurs, and other animals and birds from Dubai next month, according to an official. The animals will be brought in through an animal exchange programme, said Susanta Nanda, the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), during a press conference on Wednesday. Zoo officials have signed an agreement with Dubai Safari Park in the United Arab Emirates to bring these exotic animals and birds through the exchange programme. According to the zoo authorities, a male and female cheetah will be exchanged for five Manipur brow-antlered deer, consisting of two males and three females. The official also mentioned plans to bring four white lions (one male and three females), as well as two African lions (one male and one female). Additionally, two chimpanzees, five ring-tailed lemurs, three red-necked wallabies, eight Hamadryas baboons, seven African grey parrots, and five blu

India is considering importing cheetahs from northern Africa due to concerns that these big cats from Namibia and South Africa have developed a winter coat in the Indian summer, officials said on Wednesday. According to the officials, one of the significant challenges faced during the first year of managing cheetahs in India was the unexpected development of winter coats by some cheetahs during the Indian summer and monsoon, in anticipation of the African winter (June to September). Even African experts did not anticipate this, a senior forest official said. The winter coat, combined with high humidity and temperatures, caused itching, leading the animals to scratch their necks on tree trunks or the ground. This scratching resulted in bruises and exposed skin, where flies laid their eggs, leading to maggot infestations and, ultimately, bacterial infections and septicemia, resulting in the deaths of three cheetahs, the official explained. "Considering that cheetahs in northern and .

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday said there was no plan to relocate cheetahs from Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur, his statement coming amid the death of nine felines since March this year. The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change said the government accepted the sensitivity of the ambitious project and wants it to be a complete success. "There is no plan going on for this (relocation)...Naturally the infection caused by insects due to monsoon has also come to our notice. We have lost two cheetahs due to the infection. We have also shared information with experts from South Africa, Namibia and we are moving forward on its management, Yadav told reporters. Asserting that all forest officials and veterinarians were working very hard at KNP, Yadav said this was the first year since the cheetahs were translocated (from Namibia and South Africa in September last year and February this year respectively) and added that continuous work was goin

One more cheetah has died at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, making it the sixth adult feline to have died since March, according to a statement from the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department on Wednesday. "This morning, one of the female cheetahs - Dhatri (Tiblisi) -- was found dead. To determine the cause of the death, a post-mortem is being conducted," the statement read. While 14 cheetahs -- seven males, six females and one female cub -- are kept in the bomas in Kuno, a female cheetah is out in the open and is being intensively monitored by a team. Efforts are on to bring her back to the boma for a health examination, the statement said.

JS Chauhan, a highly respected officer with expertise in wildlife conservation, is considered as the architect of Kuno National Park

All radio-collared free-ranging cheetahs at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh may be brought back to their enclosures for close examination and drones could potentially be used to monitor their movement in the wild, officials said on Monday. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had on Sunday said media reports attributing the deaths of the big cats to factors such as radio collars were based on "speculation and hearsay, without scientific evidence". However, some experts playing a key role in the cheetah reintroduction project acknowledged that a male cheetah from South Africa did die due to an infection from radio collar use. An official who participated in a Cheetah Project Steering Committee meeting on Monday said: "All radio-collared cheetahs could be brought back to their enclosures for close monitoring." The official said another expert from South Africa would arrive at the KNP on Tuesday to provide essential insights on cheetah observation and ...

The African cheetah, Suraj, was found dead at the Kuno National Park early this morning

In the wake of the death of seven cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park since March this year, wildlife experts have questioned the way the African felines have been handled and suggested more experienced veterinarians be involved in taking care of these animals. In the latest incident, male cheetah Tejas died in the KNP on Tuesday. The autopsy report revealed the cheetah was "internally weak" and unable to recover from a "traumatic shock" after a violent fight with a female cheetah, according to a forest official. The death of Tejas, brought to KNP in Sheopur district from South Africa in February this year, is yet another blow to the central government's cheetah reintroduction programme launched with much fanfare in September last year. With this, seven felines, including three cubs born to Namibian cheetah 'Jwala', have died at the KNP since March. Talking to PTI, Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India's (WII) former dean and senior profession Y V Jhala said, "Thou

India's cheetah project is progressing well beyond the initial projections made before the animals were translocated, said Namibia-based Cheetah Conservation Fund which is helping the Indian government reintroduce the animals in the country. It has, however, cautioned the Indian authorities of more challenges as the remaining cheetahs are released into unfenced areas of the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. The Cheetah Conservation Fund's (CCF) update on the cheetah project comes amid concerns over the health and well-being of the translocated cheetahs, the carrying capacity of the Kuno National Park, and the availability of secondary sites for the spotted felines in the country. "It's too early to label Project Cheetah a success. But, so far, the cheetahs have shown every ability to survive in India. There's a long road ahead and there will be more setbacks, but from the perspective of the longest-running cheetah conservation project in Africa, the CCF considers things in India

With three cheetahs and as many cubs dying at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in three months, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav Thursday said, "We take responsibility for whatever happened", but asserted that the translocation project will be a major success. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first batch of eight spotted felines from Namibia into a quarantine enclosure at Kuno in Madhya Pradesh on September 17 last year. In a second such translocation, 12 cheetahs were flown in from South Africa and released into Kuno on February 18. Three cheetahs died in March and April. Of the 17 remaining adult cheetahs, seven have already been released into the wild. The death of three adult cheetahs and three of the four cubs born to a female Namibian cheetah, Sisaya, has prompted questions from several experts on the suitability of the habitat and wildlife management. "It's an international project and we had anticipated mortality. It's mentioned in our report too .

India does not want fenced habitats for cheetahs like the ones in South Africa and Namibia as it is against the basic tenets of wildlife conservation, the head of the Centre's high-level committee set up to monitor the cheetah reintroduction project said on Thursday. Experts from South Africa and Namibia, who are helping reintroduce cheetahs in India, have recommended fencing their habitats to prevent poaching, habitat fragmentation and minimise human-animal conflict. However, experts in India say fences can disrupt natural animal movements and impede genetic exchange between populations. "It's absolutely bogus to think of fencing the habitats. It goes against the basic tenets of wildlife conservation. What happened in a fenced park there (in Africa) will not happen here. Our understanding is that regional networks of protected areas should merge into a national network of protected areas so that there is porosity for wildlife gene flow," said Rajesh Gopal, chairman of the 11-member

Union Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday said officials involved in the cheetah revival plan will be sent on study tours to Namibia and South Africa from where the big cats have been brought in and housed at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. During his meeting with MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here, Yadav said he will be visiting KNP, in Sheopur district, on June 6. Six cheetahs have died at KNP since March. While three of the four cubs born to cheetah Jwala died on May 23, Sasha, one of the translocated Namibian cheetahs, died due to a kidney-related ailment on March 27, and cheetah Uday, brought from South Africa, died on April 13. Daksha, a cheetah brought from South Africa, succumbed to the injuries following a violent interaction with a male during a mating attempt on May 9 this year. Money and all logistic support for safety, conservation, revival will be provided, the Union minister added. Yadav also said Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is being readied in

One more cheetah has been released into the wild at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district, taking the count to seven, an official said on Monday. Neerva, a female cheetah from South Africa aged 3-4 years, was released into the wild from a larger enclosure at the KNP on Sunday evening, the national park's Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Prakash Kumar Verma said. So far, seven cheetahs have been released into the free-range so far, while 10 are still housed in larger enclosures, he said. The decision about the release of remaining cheetahs into the wild will be taken by the steering committee constituted by the Centre. The committee members are scheduled to visit the KNP on Tuesday, the official said. Eight Namibian cheetahs, comprising five females and three males, were brought to the KNP and released into special enclosures by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17 last year as part of an ambitious reintroduction programme of the species. Later, 1

The government notice did not mention if the experts will look into the deaths

The death of six cheetahs, including three newborn cubs, within a period of two and half months at MP's Kuno National Park (KNP) has prompted the NTCA to form high-level screening committee

South African wildlife expert Vincent van der Merwe on Thursday recommended fencing the cheetah habitats to circumscribe the overall threat to the big cats recently introduced in the country, prevent their "extreme ranging behaviour", and protect the prey base from anthropogenic pressures such as poaching. In an interview with PTI, Van der Merwe said the reintroduction project is going to see even higher mortality in the next few months when cheetahs try to establish territories and come face to face with leopards and tigers at the Kuno National Park. He was sadly on the mark with his prediction as the sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh lost two more cheetah cubs on Thursday, marring further the government's much-vaunted project to repopulate cheetahs in the country. "Very unfortunate, but not unusual for first-time mothers to lose their first litter," he said. Van der Merwe, who is closely involved with the project, said though the cheetah deaths have been within the acceptable range, th

National Tiger Conservation Authority on Thursday formed a Cheetah Project Steering Committee and Dr Rajesh Gopal, Secretary General of Global Tiger Forum has been appointed as the Chairman of the committee.The decision to form the committee was taken in a meeting with the Additional Chief Secretary of the Madhya Pradesh government which was chaired by the Director-General of Forests and Special Secretary (DGF & SS)."As per the decision taken in a meeting with ACS, Government of MP, chaired by the DGF & SS, in supersession of O.M of even number dated 22nd September 2022 on the Cheetah Task Force, the National Tiger Conservation Authority on Thursday constitutes a Cheetah Project Steering Committee and Dr Rajesh Gopal, Secretary General, Global Tiger Forum, made Chairman," the statement by the National Tiger Conservation Authority said.As per the office Memorandum by National Tiger Conservation Authority Statutory Body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate