Bhopal: 18 cheetahs now remain of the 20 that were brought to India in the world’s first intercontinental translocation project that aims at reintroducing the big cats in the country, as one more cheetah in the time of two months, died in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park on Sunday morning.
Six-year-old Uday was one of 12 cheetahs flown into the country in February.
At the daily check-up, Uday appeared lethargic and was limping, a press release by the forest department said. He was tranquilised and administered the first round of treatment at 11 am after which he was taken out from the large enclosure. Uday died hours later at 4 pm.
The cause of death will be determined after the post mortem, a senior forest official said.
Sasha, the first one to die, a five-year-old Namibian cheetah died last month due to a kidney infection. She was part of the first batch of cheetahs flown into Kuno National Park and was one of five female cheetahs flown in from Namibia last year.
The eight cheetahs brought from Namibia were released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Kuno National Park on the occasion of his birthday last year. The second batch of cheetahs from South Africa had seven males and five females.