Seven cats died, but eight captive-born cubs raise hope for Project Cheetah

Nearly six months after recapturing all 14 adult cheetahs and keeping them in enclosures, Kuno National Park is now preparing to release all remaining adult cheetahs back into the wild. However, the total number has now dropped to 13 after one of the Namibian cheetahs mysteriously collapsed in its enclosure last week.

Last December, the forest department started a phased release with four cheetahs – the Agni-Vayu male alliance, the female cheetah Veera and the powerful male cheetah Pawan, who have been captured several times before. However, challenges remain as the animals move far beyond the park boundaries, making tracking difficult.

“We have released some of them, while the rest are still within larger enclosures, where they are also hunting on their own. Now we have to release them all in the wild, but we will do it in a phased manner. The next course of action will be decided in the next steering committee meeting,” said Dr. Rajesh Gopal, chairman of the Cheetah Project Steering Committee.

However, Namibian cheetahs Jwala and Asha, who gave birth to two cubs this January, will be kept in the enclosure with the cubs for a longer time.

Cats inside enclosures are being prepared for breeding. On January 3, three cubs were born to Jwala, followed by four cubs to Asha on January 23. However, the first cheetah cub born to Jwala in India last March has turned one and is being raised by forest officials. After this his mother rejected it.

The sudden death of three leopards in July last year due to a winter-coat issue worsened by the weather forced the forest department to recapture all the remaining 14 cats and put them back into larger enclosures (Bomas, According to experts, African leopards develop a thick layer of skin during winter, which proves fatal for leopards in the humid monsoon season in Madhya Pradesh.

However keeping cheetahs, particularly Namibian cats, in captivity for long periods of time remains a concern as cheetahs are naturally independent wild animals and are expected to fend for themselves, authorities are concerned about any higher mortality rates. Are cautious and keen to improve their chances of survival.

According to experts, cubs born in captivity will also gradually become wild again as they are separated from the mother cheetah and become independent, and hone their hunting skills. The aim is to ensure that African cheetahs remain ecologically functional in Kuno, where they can survive in natural environments that support the full range of prey species and competing predators.

Project Cheetah is one of India’s largest-ever wildlife experiments to revive the population of cheetahs in the country – animals that were declared extinct nearly 70 years ago. At least 20 cheetahs – 10 males and 10 females – have been transferred in two batches from Namibia and South Africa from September 2022. Seven of them have died from various causes, including three cheetahs from the first litter born in March last year.