Another Namibian cheetah dies in India
India’s ambitious "Project Cheetah" experienced yet another setback on Tuesday when one more cheetah brought from Namibia died at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh.Pawan was amongst eight cheetahs brought from Namibia on 1 September 2022 that was released in KNP by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of his birthday.
Pawan was found lying near the edge of a swollen nullah (water course) between bushes without any movement at around 10:30 on Tuesday, as per a statement issued by the office of the Additional Principal Chief Conservation of Forest (APCCF) and Director of Lion Project, Uttam Sharma.
Including Pawan, 13 cheetahs have died since the launch of Project Cheetah. All the deaths occurred after March 2023.
Some of the 20 cheetahs brought to India so far - eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023 - were initially released into the wild but were returned to enclosures by 13 August 2023 after three cheetahs died, with only Pawan remaining in the wild.
Seventeen cubs have been born in India so far, of which 12 have survived. This brings the total number of cheetahs, including cubs in KNP to 24, all of which are currently in enclosures.