Doctors Give Reason For Death Of Second Cheetah In Madhya Pradesh

The second cheetah death at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh was due to cardio-pulmonary failure, according to initial findings.

Uday was among the 12 cheetahs flown in from South Africa in February as part of the country's ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme. The six-year-old cheetah was healthy when brought to India, but was seen struggling to walk yesterday. Hours later, it died.

"As per the preliminary observation by veterinarians who performed the autopsy of the male cheetah, he died of cardio-pulmonary failure," said Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), Wildlife, JS Chauhan.

A panel of five experts, comprising a forensic expert each from Jabalpur and Bhopal, carried out the necropsy.

Blood and other vital organ samples of the cheetah have been sent for advanced testing at the School of Wildlife Forensic and Health at Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University in Jabalpur.

Only after the results of the advanced tests are known, the actual reason behind the cheetah's death can be ascertained.

Uday was found sluggish in his enclosure and a closer inspection revealed he was staggering, according to an official release.

It said the cheetah was found healthy until Saturday evening, but the medical team found him ailing the next morning. It was tranquilised and treatment started at 11 am. But the cheetah died at 4 pm.

Before this, a four-year-old Namibian cheetah named Sasha died of a kidney infection in Kuno in March. With the two deaths, the cheetah population at the National Park has fallen to 18.

'Project Cheetah' was launched last September, decades after the species went extinct in India.