Shivpuri: A recently born female cheetah ‘Jwala’ Of the four cubs, two more cubs died on Thursday (May 25) morning. Earlier on May 23, a cub had died due to weakness. On March 24 in Kuno, the female cheetah gave birth to four cubs. Both the cubs died while being monitored in a weak condition amidst the scorching heat. This is the fifth incident of cheetah death in the national park in the last three months.
According to Kuno National Park, on the morning of May 23, the female cheetah ‘Jwala’ After the death of one cub, the remaining three cubs, and the female cheetah were continuously monitored throughout the day by the team of wildlife doctors and monitoring team posted in Palampur. Jwala was given supplementary food during the day. During the afternoon monitoring, the condition of the remaining 3 cubs did not seem normal. It is also worth noting here that May 23 was also the hottest day of this summer. The day’s maximum temperature was around 46-47 degree Celsius. Extremely hot winds and heat waves continued throughout the day.
In view of the unusual condition and heat of the three cubs, the management and the team of wildlife doctors immediately decided to rescue the three cubs and do the necessary treatment. The condition of 2 cubs was very bad and despite all efforts of treatment, they could not be saved.
Now the remaining one cub has been kept in critical condition in Palampur Hospital under intensive treatment and monitoring. He is being continuously treated. For treatment, constant consultation is being taken with cheetah experts and doctors from Namibia and South Africa. The said cub is currently under intensive treatment and his health condition is stable. Also, the female cheetah ‘Jwala’ is Currently healthy, which is being continuously monitored.
All the cheetah cubs were found to be weak, underweight, and highly dehydrated. The female cheetah Jwala is a hand-riveted cheetah who has become a mother for the first time. Cheetah cubs are about 6 weeks old. At this stage, cheetah cubs are generally inquisitive and walk continuously with the mother. The cubs started moving with the mother only about 10 days ago. According to cheetah experts, the survival rate of cheetah cubs in Africa in general is very low. The post-mortem proceedings are being conducted as per the standard protocol.
Four cheetahs have died so far this year. A captive-bred cheetah, ‘Sasha’, died of kidney disease in March, while another cheetah, ‘Uday’, died during treatment after being found ill in the national park in April. In May, a cheetah named ‘Daksh’ was killed in a fight with other cheetahs inside the park. Now, three cubs of the female cheetah Jwala have died due to weakness in three days.
It may be noted that eight cheetahs, including five females and three males, were brought from Namibia to Kuno on September 17 last year under ‘Project Cheetah’, a plan to resettle cheetahs in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released these cheetahs in enclosures. Subsequently, 12 cheetahs, including seven males and five females, were brought to Kuno from South Africa on February 18 this year. The last cheetah in India died in 1947 in Korea district of Chhattisgarh and the species was declared an endangered species in the country in 1952. was declared extinct.
