The Environment Ministry said on Sunday that 20 adults brought from Namibia and South Africa Cheetahs Five of them died of natural causes and reports attributing the deaths to factors such as radio collars are based on speculation and rumors without scientific evidence. Steps have been planned, including setting up of a Cheetah Research Center with rescue, rehabilitation, capacity building facilities.
No scientific proof of death from radio collar – Ministry of Environment
“Out of 20 adult cheetahs brought to India from Namibia and South Africa, five adult cheetahs have been reported dead,” the statement said. According to preliminary analysis, all the deaths were due to natural causes. There have been reports in the media in which radio collars etc. have been held responsible for the death of cheetahs. Such reports are not based on any scientific evidence, but are based on speculation and rumours.
International research continues to investigate the cause of death of cheetahs – Ministry of Environment
The ministry said consultations were being held with international cheetah experts and veterinarians from South Africa and Namibia to investigate the cause of the cheetah’s death. Monitoring protocols, safeguards, management information, veterinary facilities, training and capacity building aspects of the project are also being reviewed by independent national experts, the statement said. The ministry said the Cheetah Project Steering Committee of the Center is closely monitoring the progress of the project and has expressed satisfaction over its implementation. It said that the government has deployed a dedicated team of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to work closely with the regional authorities.
Two cheetahs died in a week
Suraj, a male cheetah brought from South Africa, died at Sheopur’s Kuno National Park (KNP) on Friday, while another male cheetah Tejas died on Tuesday. Some experts at the Cheetah Project said some of the recent deaths could possibly be due to radiocollar infections, although this is extremely unusual and collars have been used in wildlife conservation in India for more than two decades. . However, other experts said that only the postmortem report would determine the exact cause.
Septicemia using radio collar – Rajesh Gopal, head of the Cheetah Project Steering Committee
Rajesh Gopal, head of the Cheetah Project Steering Committee, said that the reason for the death of cheetahs could be septicemia caused by the use of radio collars. He said, “This is very unusual. I have also seen it for the first time. It is a cause of concern and we have instructed (Madhya Pradesh forest officials) to check all the cheetahs.” . Gopal said, “We have been using collars in wildlife conservation for about 25 years in India. I have never seen such an incident. We have great, smart collars available these days. Still, if any such incident is happening, then we have to bring it to the notice of the makers.
Radio collars are causing infection due to extremely moist conditions
South African cheetah expert Vincent van der Merwe said radio collars were causing infection due to extremely wet conditions, and this was probably the cause of the cheetah’s death. The ministry said the cheetah project is still a work in progress and “it is too early to judge its success or failure within a year”. It said the last 10 months have yielded significant information regarding cheetah management, monitoring and protection. . The statement said the ministry is optimistic about the long-term success of the project and urges not to speculate at this stage.
Additional ‘frontline staff’ will be deployed – Ministry
The statement said that as part of the new steps being considered for the project, additional forest areas would be brought under the administrative control of the Kuno National Park. The ministry said additional ‘frontline staff’ would be deployed and a cheetah protection force would be set up and a second habitat for cheetahs is being envisaged at the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
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