KNP: As per preliminary reports 6 year old Uday passed away at the Kuno National Park due to a cardiac arrest.
Officials from Madhya Pradesh Forest Department interacting with the media reporters confirmed the death stating a heart attack might have occurred due to the presence of a toxin in the bloodstream of the animal.
Principal Chief Conservator Of Forest (PCCF) of Madhya Pradesh, JS Chauhan said, “In the preliminary post-mortem (PM) report, the cause of death is stated to be cardiopulmonary failure. The detailed PM report and the blood test report are awaited to know the reason behind other health parameters of the cheetah.”
At the daily check-up, Uday appeared lethargic and was limping, a press release by the forest department said. He was tranquilised and administered the first round of treatment at 11 am after which he was taken out from the large enclosure. Uday died hours later at 4 pm.
According to South African veterinarian, Adrian Tordiffe, “Cardiopulmonary failure is a symptom not a real cause behind death. The blood samples will reveal the real cause.” He suspected botulism, as toxins might have entered the body either through prey or water, which may have affected his nervous system.
Uday, a South African cheetah that was translocated under Cheetah Project in the second batch of 12 big cats died on Sunday.
Before KNP, Waterberg Biosphere Reserve of South Africa was Uday’s home.
At present the overall count of Cheetahs is down to 18. Twenty cheetahs were brought from Namibia and South Africa as part of the Central government’s initiative of reintroducing the extinct feline into Indian ecosystems.