Sneh Ticku, Pune
In a saddening incident, Tejas, a male cheetah brought from South Africa and placed in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP), has died, according to an official release. The cheetah was found with severe injury markings on the upper part of its neck by a monitoring team on the morning of July 11, 2023. Despite immediate efforts by wildlife veterinarians to treat Tejas, he succumbed to his injuries around 2 pm the same day.
An official statement stated, “In a recent incident, on the morning of 11/07/2023 at around 11:00 AM, the monitoring team discovered injury markings on the upper part of the neck of a male cheetah named Tejas (Boma number 6). The monitoring team immediately informed the wildlife veterinarians present at the Palpur headquarters. The wildlife veterinarians went to the scene and examined Tejas the cheetah, finding the injuries to be severe upon initial observation.”
Further investigations are underway to determine the cause of Tejas’ injuries, and a post-mortem examination will be conducted to establish the cause of death.
This unfortunate incident comes just hours after two additional cheetahs were released into the wild at Kuno National Park in Sheopur district. With the arrival of these two cheetahs and the subsequent death of Tejas, the feline population in the forest has now reached a total of 11 individuals.
Previously, the park had already witnessed the loss of three cheetahs and three cubs. In an effort to reintroduce the species in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released eight Namibian cheetahs (five females and three males) into special enclosures on September 17 of the previous year. Subsequently, on February 18 of the current year, twelve more cheetahs (seven males and five females) were brought to KNP from South Africa.
The tragic death of Tejas raises concerns regarding the welfare and protection of the cheetah population in Kuno National Park. Authorities will be closely examining the circumstances surrounding this incident to prevent similar occurrences in the future and ensure the conservation of this endangered species.