Namibian Cheetah Shaurya dies at MP’s Kuno National Park, cause of death yet to be ascertained; 10 deaths so far

Shaurya, a cheetah translocated from Namibia, died at Kuno National Park on Tuesday, news agency ANI reported. With the death of Shaurya, seven adult cheetahs and three cubs born in India have died since March 2023.

The Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) and Director of Lion Project said in a statement that late in the morning the tracking team observed “incoordination and staggering gait” in the animal following which Shaurya was tranquilised. Post revival the tracking team noticed complications. The Namibian Cheetah failed to respond to CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and died around 3.17 pm. The cause of death can be ascertained only after post-mortem.

“Today, on 16th January, 2024 around 3:17 PM, Namibian Cheetah Shaurya passed away. Around 11 AM in the morning, incoordination and staggering gait was observed by the tracking team following which the animal was tranquilized and weakness was found. Following this, the animal was revived but complications arose post-revival and the animal failed to respond to CPR. Cause of death can be ascertained after post-mortem,” APCCF & Director Lion Project said.

Cheetah, the fastest land animal, was declared extinct in the country in 1952. The relocation of cheetahs from Africa and Namibia is part of the government's ambitious plan to revive their population in the country.

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Under the Cheetah Reintroduction Project, eight Namibian cheetahs - five females and three males - were relocated to the Kuno National Park in September 2022. In February 2023, another 12 cheetahs were brought to the national park from South Africa. Since March 2023, seven adult cheetahs have died in Kuno National Park due to various reasons, taking the total death count of felines in the park, including three cubs, to 10.

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In May 2023, while voicing concern over the death of the big cats, the Supreme Court asked the Union government to file a detailed affidavit explaining the reasons behind the deaths and remedial measures taken to prevent the deaths. 

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Later, the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the National Tiger Conservation Authority told the apex court that the death of adult cheetahs and cubs at Kuno National Park is troubling, but not "unduly alarming", and the surviving big cats are being captured and medically examined as a precautionary measure.