Tanveer Singh Kapoor, Pune
The Project Cheetah suffered another blow on Friday as another cheetah was discovered dead within the confines of Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
This marks the eighth cheetah death since the inception of the project on September 17, 2022, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The patrolling team discovered the body of a sub-adult male South African cheetah, named ‘Suraj.’ It was found early this morning, leaving authorities involved in the project in a state of shock. This incident follows closely on the heels of the death of a cheetah named Tejas.
The officials remain anxious to know the cause of the cheetah’s death, as the postmortem report has yet to arrive.
Tejas, aged five-and-a-half, had previously succumbed to a traumatic shock. The male South African cheetah weighed only 43 kg, well below the average weight range of 55-60 kg for cheetahs of similar age. Additionally, Tejas’ internal organs were found to be in compromised condition.
As per the authorities, Tejas’ weight was considerably lower than that of an average male cheetah. They observed superficial external wounds on the back of its neck, confined to the skin and lacking depth. Besides, no puncture wounds were found during the examination.
The repeated occurrences of cheetah deaths in the national park raise concerns regarding the well-being and conservation efforts of these creatures. Project Tiger’s objective of reintroducing cheetahs into the Indian wilderness now faces scrutiny and reassessment to ensure their safety and security.