Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park has suffered another loss as a female cheetah named ‘Daksha’, translocated from South Africa, died on Tuesday. This marks the third cheetah to have died in the park, after a female and male cheetah died on March 27 and April 23, respectively.
Daksha was found injured by a monitoring team in the morning and was given immediate medication and treatment, but unfortunately, she passed away around noon. The exact cause of death is currently unknown and a post-mortem examination will be conducted.
The translocation of cheetahs to Kuno National Park from South Africa was a part of India’s rewilding program, aimed at restoring the country’s population of big cats. However, the program has been fraught with controversy and criticism, with some conservationists and experts raising concerns about the suitability of the park’s habitat for cheetahs and the potential risks to the native species.
Despite the setbacks, the Indian government remains committed to the project, with plans to bring in more cheetahs in the future. The project also includes the establishment of a breeding center for cheetahs in the country.
The cheetah is an endangered species, with a declining population worldwide due to habitat loss, poaching, and other human activities. The reintroduction of cheetahs to India, where the species became extinct in the 1940s, has been viewed as a significant step towards conservation efforts and biodiversity restoration. However, the recent deaths of the translocated cheetahs highlight the challenges and risks involved in such endeavors.
