Two More Cheetah Cubs Succumb at Kuno National Park

In a major setback for India's ambitious cheetah population revival program, two more India-born cheetah cubs have tragically passed away at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh, according to a forest official on Thursday.

This brings the total number of cheetah cub deaths at the park to three, alongside the loss of three adult cheetahs that were translocated from South Africa and Namibia.

The two cubs, that perished on the same day, Tuesday afternoon, had their deaths reported only on Thursday. The reason behind the delayed disclosure of their deaths was not disclosed by the official.

Kuno National Park has been home to cheetahs translocated from Namibia and South Africa as part of a grand initiative to revive their population in India after the species went extinct in the country over seven decades ago.

An official release stated that following the demise of a cheetah cub on May 23, the forest department's monitoring team closely observed the movements of the female cheetah named Jwala and her remaining three cubs. Jwala, previously known as Siyaya, had given birth to four cubs in late March after being translocated from Namibia in September of the previous year.

On May 23, the monitoring team noticed that the condition of the three surviving cubs was deteriorating and made the decision to rescue them for medical treatment. The release mentioned that the cubs were severely dehydrated, possibly due to the scorching daytime temperatures of around 46-47 degrees Celsius.

Despite intensive efforts to provide treatment, two of the cubs could not be saved. The condition of the fourth cub remained stable, but it continued to receive intense medical care.

Earlier this year, several other cheetahs brought from Namibia and South Africa also met unfortunate fates. These recent deaths highlight the challenges faced in the cheetah revival program, which aims to reintroduce this endangered species into the wild in India.