Cheetah Shasha faring well in India
One of the eight Namibian cheetahs exported to India a few months ago was said to be slightly under the weather but is now believed to be better.As India TV reported last week, the cheetah Shasha was weak due to dehydration and kidney problems. The management of the national park where the eight Namibian cheetahs now live took Shasha from her large encampment to a smaller enclosure for treatment, where she was constantly observed by veterinarians.
India TV quoted Indian park manager Prakash Kumar Verma as saying: “The eight cheetahs that were brought from Namibia are monitored here on a daily basis. It was found that the female cheetah Shasha was a little weak. As a result, she was placed under the doctors' care.”
She was then tested by the vets. “Tests revealed dehydration and mild kidney impairment. Since we didn't have some equipment and needed to have ultrasonography done, a medical team from Bhopal was called in. Doctors arrived here with a portable device and performed the test. They will present the reports on the test later," Verma said.
According to Dr Laurie Marker, founder and director of the Cheetah Foundation Fund (CCF), "Shasha was not well, but she is better now".
She acknowledged the dehydration and kidney issues but said that it was unrelated to the environmental conditions in their new home or with the treatment there. "The team continues to work hard on the welfare of the cheetahs and the project is going well," Marker said.
The eight Namibian cheetahs were exported to India in September last year and then settled in Kuno National Park. The export is part of a wildlife conservation partnership between India and Namibia and was implemented by the CCF, among others.
India has set itself the goal of reintroducing the long-extinct cheetahs there. As part of this, another twelve animals are set to be received from South Africa this month.