Twenty cheetahs have been brought to India from South Africa since last year (File)
The Centre, in a report, attributed the deaths of eight cheetahs in less than four months at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh to several health issues and heat. The report came hours after the Supreme Court expressed concerns about the cheetah deaths at the KNP and asked the Centre to take corrective steps.
Five of the 20 cheetahs brought in from Africa - Sasha, Uday, Daksha, Tejas, and Suraj - died at the national park in less than four months along with three cubs born here, sparking concerns among officials and wildlife experts.
According to the government's report, Sasha, a female cheetah, died on March 27 due to chronic renal failure. Uday, a male cheetah, suffered a cardiopulmonary failure and died on April 23. On May 9, another cheetah Daksha died of traumatic shock, the report said without elaborating on the causes.
The preliminary necropsy conducted on male cheetah Tejas after his death on July 11 pointed to traumatic shock to be the cause.
On July 14, Suraj, the fifth of the 20 cheetahs brought in from Africa, also died of traumatic shock, according to its preliminary necropsy report.
In addition, three cubs born at the park died of heatstroke on May 23, the report said. They were just two months old.
The Centre has been asserting that the animals died of natural causes, dismissing reports attributing the deaths to radio collars.
Eight cheetahs were brought from Namibia last year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released them in the Kuno National Park on September 17 - his birthday.
In February this year, 12 cheetahs from South Africa arrived at the national park after South Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the re-introduction of cheetahs in India to establish a viable cheetah population in the country.