Death of 2 cheetahs: M.P. forest department writes to Centre to seek 'alternate site' for spotted animals

The Madhya Pradesh forest department has asked the Centre for an “alternate” site for cheetahs currently introduced at the Kuno National Park, which has seen the death of two felines in less than a month, with officials citing lack of logistical support and space.

The Madhya Pradesh forest department has asked the Centre for an "alternate" site for cheetahs currently introduced at the Kuno National Park, which has seen the death of two felines in less than a month, with officials citing lack of logistical support and space.

A senior state forest official on condition of anonymity said they do not have enough logistical support for the upkeep for the cheetahs, brought in two batches of 8 and 12 felines from Namibia and South Africa respectively since September last year.

"We need nine staffers to keep an eye on one cheetah round-the-clock. We don't have enough hands," the official told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Asked about the space shortage, the official said it was secondary and added that “not just space, we need a lot of logistics.”

Notably, before the cheetahs were imported, some experts had raised doubt over the space shortage likely to affect the cheetah reintroduction project at the Kuno National Park (KNP), which has a core area of 748 sq km and buffer zone of 487 sq km.

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On April 23, the KNP witnessed a second cheetah fatality in less than a month as a six-year-old male feline named Uday, translocated from South Africa in February, died.