Bhopal/Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh), Oct 12 (IANS) An eight-month-old cub of Namibian female cheetah Asha was found dead at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on Monday after it went missing during morning monitoring, taking India’s cheetah population down to 59, including 41 born in the country.

Forest staff launched a search after finding Asha with only four of her five cubs during routine monitoring.

The missing cub was subsequently found dead, the Field Director of Project Cheetah at Kuno said.

“During morning monitoring, Asha was observed with four of her five cubs. A search was undertaken to locate the missing cub, which was subsequently found dead,” the Field Director said in a statement.

The cause of death is yet to be established and will be known after the post-mortem report is received, the official said.

The death has reduced Kuno’s cheetah population to 53, including 40 Indian-born animals.

Of these, 15 are currently roaming freely in the wild, while the others are in enclosures or under monitoring.

Asha gave birth to five cubs around eight months ago. The litter was a significant development for Project Cheetah, which seeks to establish a self-sustaining population of the species in India, where cheetahs were declared extinct in 1952.

The latest loss highlights the challenges facing the reintroduction programme, which has recorded births of cubs in India but has also witnessed deaths of adult cheetahs and young animals since its launch.

India began Project Cheetah in September 2022 with the translocation of eight cheetahs from Namibia to Kuno National Park in Sheopur district.

Another 12 cheetahs were brought from South Africa in February 2023 as part of efforts to restore the species to its historical range.

The programme involves international cooperation with African countries and requires sustained habitat management, adequate prey, veterinary care and scientific monitoring to help the animals survive and breed in Indian conditions.

Besides Kuno, four cheetahs are currently housed at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary and two at Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, taking the total number of cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh to 59. Of these, 41 were born in India.

Forest officials said monitoring of Asha and her four surviving cubs would continue following the incident.

–IANS

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