On Project Cheetah first anniversary, nine big cats dead, 15 survive

Indiarsquos ambitious lsquoproject cheetahrsquo completed one year on Sunday after the first batch of eight Namibian cheetahs was released in Madhya Pradeshrsquos Kuno National Park KNP by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday on September 17 2022With 12 more cheetahs brought from South Africa on February 18 this year a total 20 fastest running felines were released at KNP with a purpose of breeding them in India The plan got success when Namibian female cheetah Siyaya gave birth to four cubs in March this yearHowever unfortunately three out four cubs died in May due to heatstroke and malnutrition The lone surviving female cheetah cub a remarkable milestone as the nationrsquos first cheetah birth in 75 years is now healthy officials at KNP saidldquoHaving spent more than 100 days in close proximity to her mother the cub has exhibited remarkable vitality steadily gaining weight and following a standard growth trajectory Born on Indian soil this young cheetah holds the promise of a brighter future for cheetah conservation in the countryrdquo said the Kuno authority recently through an official communicationWhile on the other side the project also witnessed back to back jolt as one after another cheetah died due to varied reasons and raised apprehensions as well as political controversy in pollbound Madhya Pradesh A total of nine cheetahs including three cubs have died between March to August The project witnessed its first jolt when Namibian female cheetah Sasha succumbed to a kidneyrelated ailment on March 27 Two male African cheetahs Uday and Daksha died on April 13 and May 9 respectivelyMore shocking to the project came when two male cheetahs Tejas and Suraj died within a span of one week in July Namibian female cheetah Dhatri was found dead on August 2 Since then two pieces of good news came from Kuno one that the female cheetah Nirva who had gone out of radar was captured and the lone surviving cub born in Indian soil is healthy nowOn the eve of the first anniversary of the lsquoproject cheetahrsquo Kuno authority released a video of the success story and praised the efforts of the forest guards deployed to monitor the felines ldquoItrsquos been an amazing ride as we get ready to mark a year since the incredible reintroduction of cheetahs the impact has been astounding from revitalizing ecosystems to inspiring local communitiesrdquo it saidIf all goes according to the plan cheetahs would be introduced at two more habitats in Madhya Pradesh Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary Additional Director General of Forests at the Environment Ministry SP Yadav recently told the media that the next batch of cheetahs will be imported from South Africa and introduced into Madhya Pradeshs Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary by the end of this year ldquoWe are preparing two such sites in Madhya Pradesh one is the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary and the other is Nauradehirdquo he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever