6 deaths in 2 months, but the worst is yet to come: Why India will see more cheetah deaths

May 26, 2023 - 15:30

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6 deaths in 2 months, but the worst is yet to come: Why India will see more cheetah deaths

India’s reintroduction of cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa has hit a roadblock. After three adult cheetahs have died since their relocation in September last year, now three cubs have died, all within a span of three days.

What’s worse is that a South African wildlife expert said the reintroduction project is going to see even higher mortality in the next few months. Vincent van der Merwe, who is closely involved with the project, told news agency PTI that the cheetah deaths have been within the acceptable range and more are expected to die, raising concerns about the reintroduction programme as well as whether Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh is the ideal spot for the big cats.

We take a closer look at what happened to the cheetahs – why they have died, why more are expected to perish, what can be done to save them and what this means for the programme?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi looking at a cheetah after it was released at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh state. File image/AFP

Deaths of six cheetahs

In September 2022, eight Namibian cheetahs arrived in India amid much fanfare, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi releasing them into a small fenced enclosure near the national park on his 72nd birthday. Another 12 African cheetahs have since been flown over and the plan is to release a total of 50 over the next five to 10 years.

Also read: The eight cheetahs coming to India from Namibia

The celebrations turned into shock when one Namibian cheetah, known as Sasha, died of kidney complications on 27 March. Sasha was believed to have contracted the kidney ailment during its captivity in Namibia and had been unwell since arriving in Kuno.

In April, Uday, another cheetah that was brought to Kuno from South Africa died during treatment after being found sick. Female Daksha from South Africa died on 9 May, killed in a “violent interaction” with an adult male coalition which included Vayu and Agni, also known as the “White Walkers”.

Amid this news, there was a ray of hope when Jwala, one of the cheetahs from Namibia, gave birth to four cubs.