In an enormous embarrassment to   senior  members of  the Steering Committee for Cheetah challenge and  worldwide specialists together with Laurie Marker of Cheetah Conservation Fund(CCF), one of many greatest   names in cheetah conservation on the planet, the Union ministry of Surroundings forest and local weather change (MoEFC&C)  denied cheetah deaths resulting from collar wounds in Kuno nationwide park. On Saturday- July 15 – Namibia based mostly Laurie Marker and steering committee members together with its head Dr Rajesh Gopal had confirmed the deaths resulting from collar wounds. 

Regardless of Dnial, Preps On To Cpture Cheetahs

The MoEFC&C denial was issued when the officers have been making ready to seize cheetahs to take away their collars   to forestall additional casualties.Rattled by the 5 cheetah deaths together with the 2 again to again  losses within the final three days, the MoEFC&C  issued a 3 web page press launch on Sunday afternoon. It stated, “As per the preliminary evaluation by Nationwide Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the apex physique entrusted with the implementation of Mission Cheetah, all mortalities are resulting from pure causes. There are experiences within the media attributing these Cheetah deaths to different causes together with their radio collars and so forth.  Such experiences aren’t based mostly on any scientific proof however are hypothesis and rumour”. Of the 20 translocated cheetahs from South Africa and Namibia, 5 mortalities of grownup people have been reported from Kuno nationwide park, Madhya Pradesh, until date, the press launch stated. Mission Cheetah is but to finish a 12 months and will probably be untimely to conclude the result when it comes to success and failure, since Cheetah reintroduction is a long-term challenge, if additional stated. 

Additionally learn: Not Leopards, A Totally different ‘Predator’ is Killing Kuno Cheetahs

The ministry sources nonetheless, maintained that the  collar wound principle  was confirmed  after a Steering Committee Assembly on Saturday. “ Overseas members of the committee additionally attended on-line. The visuals of the cheetah wounds have been proven within the assembly adopted by affirmation of collar-wound  principle”,   a senior member of  the ministry stated.  One other assembly of the committee is scheduled on Monday. After preliminary confusion over the accidents of Tejas and Suraj- the 2 male cheetahs- , specialists realized the loss of life was attributable to septicemia ensuing from the radio collars worn round their necks within the prevailing moist situations within the monsoons. The deaths weren’t a results of wounds inflicted by different animals however have been attributed to  micro organism an infection.

Extra Cheetahs Develop Related Signs

In the meantime, Kuno is buzzing with actions. Two extra cheetahs- Pawan and Gaurav have each been discovered with related neck accidents. Pawan’s collar was eliminated after tranquilising the cat. That is for the third time  that Pawan was tranquilised. He’s the ame cheetah who had been wandering distant after his launch within the wild. He was tranquilised twice up to now to convey him again to the enclosure. Gaurav can also be discovered with the identical neck accidents and is being handled. Because the panic stricken Kuno employees began finding different cheetahs, they weren’t capable of find Nirva, a feminine, due to some  technical  fault in  the  collar  worn by the animal. 

Additionally learn:Again to Again Cheetah Deaths in Kuno: South African Knowledgeable Sad Over Communication Hole

One other feminine cheetah Gamini  is  reportedly wandering outdoors Kuno in a hilly terrain and the monitoring workforce  was attempting onerous to find her whereabouts within the rain drenched Kuno forests. Twenty cheetahs- 8 from Namibia in September final 12 months and 12 from South Africa in February 2023-  have been airlifted  to Kuno in  the a lot hyped  first ever inter-continental  cheetah  translocation challenge. Of them 5 had died within the final 4 months. There are 11  free ranging cheetahs in Kuno whereas 4 are nonetheless in enclosures. Three cheetah cubs additionally died a number of months in the past. One in all them survived and is being reared in captivity.  

By Deshdeep Saxena

Representational  cheetah Photos,  File pic of  Union MoEFC&C minister  Bhupendra  Singh Yadav driving an ATV in Kuno to trace cheetah location