Bhopal: Originating from Africa, the cheetahs were relocated to India in a bid to kick start the first translocation of big cats across continents and are now to be unleashed back into their natural habitat after a year in their specially prepared enclosures at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Some of these cheetahs had been moved back to enclosures temporarily for medical check-ups and close observation. The Central Government’s Cheetah Project Steering Committee has now officially stated that it was on Friday, August 23, 2024, that the African cheetahs and their cubs were to be phased released into central India once the monsoons ease.
Officials of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) have visited Kuno and paved a timeline for releasing the cheetahs as stated by an official to the media, “They will be let in the wild gradually depending on the end of rainy season while the cubs and their mothers will be released after December.”
To date, the park has recorded that all the 25 cheetahs in the park of different ages and stages are reported to be in good health, with 13 of them being adults and twelve being cubs. The first set of eight was brought from Namibia in September last year, and the second batch of twelve was brought from South Africa in February of this year.
First, of them, several tamed cheetahs were released into the wild; however, by August of the past year, cheetahs were returned to the cages again after the deaths of three cheetahs, a female from Namibia, Tbilisi, and two from South Africa named Tejas and Sooraj. An infection called septicemia killed these cheetahs, blood poisoning that occurs when bacteria enter through the bloodstream, thanks to their winter coats that have accumulated thick layers of fur. These wounds were lined with maggots, got infected, and caused their deaths, as revealed in the government’s Project Cheetah annual report.
Caring for such cheetahs in India during their first year presented certain difficulties, especially in connection with the growth of winter coats.
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