Why the first kill of two cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno is significant

Two Namibian male cheetahs relocated to India have made their first hunt within 24 hours of being shifted from a quarantine area to a larger enclosure in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park.

They are among the eight Namibian felines reintroduced in India under ‘Project Cheetah’ after the species went extinct here in 1952.

The brothers named Freddie and Elton killed a cheetal (spotted deer) either on Sunday night or in the wee hours of Monday (7 November), Chief Conservator of Forest, Uttam Kumar Sharma, told PTI. The forest monitoring team learnt about the hunt in the morning today.

The brothers are the first cheetahs to enter the bigger enclosure after being in quarantine since 17 September like the other six felines.

Why is the hunt significant for cheetahs? Why did they not prey earlier? We explain.

Why is their first kill significant?

These cheetahs making their first hunt is important as they have travelled a long distance – over 8,000 km– from Namibia to India, and hence, there have been concerns about their acclimatisation to the new and unknown territory.

This was the first time in the world that a large carnivore has been relocated from one continent to another, Indian Express.

With their first kill, these cheetahs have dismissed the park management’s concerns about their prey-hunting ability.

JS Chauhan, chief wildlife warden, Madhya Pradesh, told India Today about the hunt, “Soon after they were released [into their new enclosure] on 5 November, the cheetahs made an attempt to hunt down a cheetal. That failed, but they successfully killed another cheetal during the intervening night of 6-7 November. This marks a significant step in the cheetah reintroduction process in India.”

Experts believe that the cheetahs hunting easily indicate they are doing well in their new homes.

“The cheetahs making their first kill within 24 hours is beyond expectations. This signifies that the big cats are absolutely fit and the worries of these cheetahs losing any muscle strength owing to the time they spend in quarantine is unfounded,” a senior forest official told Indian Express.

Why had cheetahs not preyed till now?

These cheetahs have been living in quarantine enclosures till now because of the rules that wild animals must be quarantined for a month before and after being shifted to a different country to prevent them from catching infections.

Since their relocation in September, these eight cheetahs were housed in six ‘bomas’ (enclosures), two of which are 50 metres x 30 metres while the other four are 25 square metre in area.

During their quarantine, the felines were fed buffalo meat.

Almost two months later, these big cats are being released in larger enclosures in a phased manner.

On Saturday (5 November), Freddie and Elton were let out from the quarantine zones into an enclosure spread over 98 hectares.

Sharing the video of these two wild cats being shifted to a larger enclosure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted on Sunday, “Great news! Am told that after mandatory quarantine, two cheetahs released to a bigger enclosure for further adaptation to Kuno habitat. Others will be released soon. Also glad to know that all cheetahs are healthy, active & adjusting well.”

Great news! Am told that after the mandatory quarantine, 2 cheetahs have been released to a bigger enclosure for further adaptation to the Kuno habitat. Others will be released soon. I’m also glad to know that all cheetahs are healthy, active and adjusting well.