A male cheetah named Pawan, translocated from Namibia, was found dead in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park on Tuesday.
The latest fatality follows the recent death of a five-month-old cub, compounding concerns over the ongoing cheetah reintroduction project.
The body of the cheetah was discovered at around 10.30 am near the edge of a swollen nullah, partially submerged in water. Initial examinations revealed no external injuries, with the front part of the cheetah's body, including its head, found in the water.
Preliminary reports suggest drowning as the likely cause of death. A full postmortem is pending to confirm the exact cause.
The Kuno National Park has faced significant setbacks since the cheetah reintroduction began.
Since September 2022, when the first batch of cheetahs was introduced to India, at least eight adult cheetahs and several cubs have died.
The current population stands at 24 cheetahs, comprising 12 adults and 12 cubs.
Challenges such as low prey density and leopard management have been reported by the Centre's Cheetah Project Steering Committee.
These issues have contributed to the prolonged confinement of the cheetahs in enclosures, following the death of three cheetahs last year due to septicemia. Efforts to address these problems are ongoing.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and committee members have conducted field visits to assess the situation. Plans are in place to release the cheetahs back into the wild once the monsoon season ends.
Adult cheetahs will be gradually released in phases, while cubs and their mothers will be freed after December.
In the face of these challenges, India is considering sourcing cheetahs from Somalia, Tanzania, and Sudan to bolster the reintroduction effort and mitigate the current biorhythm issues affecting the cheetah population.
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