Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh): In yet another major blow to the ambitious Cheetah Project, one more fully grown Cheetah died in Kuno National Park (Sheopur) on Friday. The male cheetah ‘Suraj’ translocated from South Africa, had a wound on neck and back.
It took the number of cheetahs that have died at the park in Sheopur district since March this year to eight- five adult and three cubs. Only three days ago another translocated male cheetah, Tejas, had died at the park.
Monitoring team found Suraj lying still in Palpur East Forest Range's Masavani beat 6.30 am. When the team member went closer, they found insects hovering over its neck but the Cheetah then rose and ran away, said an official. The monitoring team alerted the Palpur based control room and a team of veterinarians and forest officials rushed to the spot at 9 am. When the location of Suraj was traced, the team found him dead. Suraj was having wounds on upper area of the neck and back. “It is being fathomed that Suraj received wound in the fight with another canine or he sustained wound after getting bruised with something. Once autopsy report comes, everything will be clear,” said Cheetah Steering Committee Chairman Rajesh Gopal to Free Press.
A senior forest official said that death cycle under Cheetah Project is not a strange thing as deaths of cheetahs are expected under the translocation project.
Cheetah Death Timeline
March 26- Female Cheetah Sasha
April 23-Male Cheetah Uday
May 9- Female Cheetah Daksha
May 23-Three cubs of Jwala
July 11- Male Cheetah Tejas
July 14- Male Cheetah Suraj
