Namibian cheetah Shaurya dies, 10th casualty since project introduced at Kuno

Bhopal, Jan 16 : Yet another Namibian cheetah was reported dead at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, the tenth fatality since the project was introduced on September 17, 2022.

The cheetah that died on Tuesday has been identified as Shaurya. According to forest officials at KNP, Shaurya was spotted lying in an unconscious state in the afternoon on Tuesday.

The big cat was tranquilised and taken to the veterinarians for treatment immediately.

The team of veterinarians made all efforts to save Shaurya’s life however, he could not survive.

The exact reason for his death is yet to be confirmed, a senior official said.

“Today, on 16th January, 2024 around 3:17 PM, Namibian Cheetah Shaurya passed away. Around 11 AM in the morning, incoordination and staggering gait was observed by the tracking team following which the animal was tranquilised and weakness was found. Following this, the animal was revived but complications arose post revival and the animal failed to respond to CPR. Cause of death can be ascertained after Post Mortem,” APCCF & Director Lion Project said in a press release.

A total of 20 cheetahs were transported from Namibia and South Africa in two phases, of them 10, including three cubs born at Kuno, have died so far.

The death of Shaurya came two weeks after Namibian cheetah ‘Aasha’ gave birth to three cubs, giving an indication of the success of the ambitious ‘Project cheetah’.

Before that, another Namibian cheetah Siyaya had given birth to four cubs, of which three died and one cub survived.