Tejas, a second cheetah introduced from South Africa and kept in the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, died on Tuesday, according to an official statement. Three cheetahs and three cubs have already died in the park before Tejas.
Preliminary information indicates that at or around 11 a.m. today, a monitoring team found injury markings on the upper part of the neck of a male cheetah. The cat eventually died from his injuries though, at about 2:00 PM.
‘In a recent incident, on the morning of 11/07/2023 at around 11:00 AM, the monitoring team discovered injury markings on the upper part of the neck of a male cheetah named Tejas (Boma number 6). The monitoring team immediately informed the wildlife veterinarians present at the Palpur headquarters. The wildlife veterinarians went to the scene and examined Tejas the cheetah, finding the injuries to be severe upon initial observation,’ an official released said.
‘Permission was obtained to provide treatment and a team of veterinarians was dispatched to the location with the necessary preparations to render first aid and treat Tejas. Unfortunately, at approximately 2:00 PM, Tejas the male cheetah was found dead at the scene. Further investigation is being conducted regarding the cause of the injuries sustained by Tejas. The post mortem examination will determine the cause of death,’ it added.
This occurs just hours after two other cheetahs from the Kuno National Park in the Sheopur district were let out into the wild. The number of felines in the forest has increased to 11 with the death of Tejas and the recent addition of two cheetahs.
Prabhash and Pavak, two male cheetahs, were released into the wild at the KNP on Monday, according to Sheopur’s Divisional Forest Officer P K Verma, who spoke to news agency PTI. The two felines were also brought from South Africa to India.
On September 17 of last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi transported eight Namibian cheetahs, five of which were female and three of which were male, to the KNP and released them into designated enclosures as part of an ambitious project to reestablish the species in India.
On February 18 of this year, the KNP received 12 additional cheetahs from South Africa—seven males and five females.
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