Sheopur (MP): A 20-month-old female cheetah cub has died at this district's Kuno National Park, in Chambal Division, and the management said that prima facie, the death appeared to be a consequence of a clash with a leopard over hunting or territory.
The cub, born to Jwala, was found dead on Monday and the autopsy report is awaited. The cheetah was released into the forest on February 21 along with her mother and three siblings.
A month back, the cub parted ways with its mother and recently separated from her siblings as well.
Kuno now has 25 healthy cheetahs of which nine -- including three males -- are adults. The rest were born in India. Project Cheetah officials are keeping a constant watch on their activities.
Intensive monitoring will continue in order to comprehend such incidents in future and formulate an improved strategy.
Kuno is spread over 748 square km and received National Park status in 2018. The park derives its name from a river flowing through it. The area lies between the Aravalli and Vindhyachal mountain ranges and is full of hills, bushes and grassland.
The environment is dry, deciduous jungle having sal, khair, saja, bamboo and mahua. Several rare and almost extinct species are to be found here. Principal among them are the leopard, bear, wild dog, hyena, sambar, nilgai and chinkara.
On September 17, 2022, Project Cheetah commenced here under which the carnivores were brought from Namibia and South Africa. Earlier, female cheetah Nabha brought from Namibia perished during hunting whereas Sasha succumbed to a kidney infection.
On August 15, 2022, Sasha was subjected to a blood test in Namibia and her creatinine level was found to exceed 400. The day after Sasha died, Jwala also brought from Namibia -- gave birth to four cubs.
