Editor's Pick: Cheetah deaths at Kuno | Panel recommends medical review for all cheetahs

Considering that two cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park translocated to India last year from South Africa and Namibia as part of Project Cheetah have died in the last week, the expert advisory committee overseeing the implementation of Project Cheetah has recommended that all the animals undergo a thorough, physical medical review. Overall eight cheetahs have died so far- five adults and three out of the four cubs born to one of the animals also died. The medical review recommended will involve recalling even the animals which have been released into the wild and investigating if the radio-collars dangling from their necks may be indirectly abetting infections, multiple sources confirmed to The Hindu. Since September 2022, when the first Cheetahs came in, eleven of the animals have been released into the wild, while four are in one square-km enclosures called bomas, where they are in conditions similar to captivity. What prompted the recent recall of the animals was the latest fatality; a cheetah named Surya died from a wound on its neck that was then infected with maggots. The larvae of the maggots were also found on the radio-collar and this fatally infected the animal, according to Rajesh Gopal, who chairs the apex steering committee monitoring the cheetah project. While the Committee expert says radio collars have never been an issue with these animals and the Ministry calls the concerns about the collars “speculation”, finding out the cause for the latest fatality may not be enough. Some cheetah deaths were expected initially as the reintroduction project was an experiment to have a stable population of the wild cat over a long period of time. However, what experts have pointed out as being strange is that mortalities happened in the enclosed bomas where they were far less expected and when the cats are in the wild. In fact, the most recent fatality, Surya, is the only one to have died in the wild. The Environment Ministry’s official statement emphasised that all the animal deaths so far could be attributed to “natural causes.” It is important to note at this juncture, however, that it would do good for the authorities right now to address some of the existing concerns around Project Cheetah. It has been pointed out by multiple experts that Kuno National Park may not be enough to handle all the cats and that the staff there is stretched. Experts have also recently recommended roping in more and senior veterinarians in order to understand the health conditions of the felines and for better monitoring of the reintroduction programme. The Hindu’s Editorials Something special: On 25 years of the India-France strategic partnership Flood feud: On lessons from the floods in North India The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Apart from the Akali Dal, which erstwhile member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was being expected to make a return to the grouping? Apna Dal (Sonelal) Telugu Desam Party National People’s Party Hindustani Awam Morcha To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 17 July 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Cheetah deaths at Kuno | Panel recommends medical review for all cheetahs Considering that two cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park translocated to India last year from South Africa and Namibia as part of Project Cheetah have died in the last week, the expert advisory committee overseeing the implementation of Project Cheetah has recommended that all the animals undergo a thorough, [physical medical review](. Overall eight cheetahs have died so far- five adults and three out of the four cubs born to one of the animals also died. The medical review recommended will involve recalling even the animals which have been released into the wild and investigating if the radio-collars dangling from their necks may be indirectly abetting infections, multiple sources confirmed to The Hindu. Since September 2022, when the first Cheetahs came in, eleven of the animals have been released into the wild, while four are in one square-km enclosures called bomas, where they are in conditions similar to captivity. What prompted the recent recall of the animals was the latest fatality; a cheetah named Surya died from a wound on its neck that was then infected with maggots. The larvae of the maggots were also found on the radio-collar and this fatally infected the animal, according to Rajesh Gopal, who chairs the apex steering committee monitoring the cheetah project. While the Committee expert says radio collars have never been an issue with these animals and the Ministry calls the concerns about the collars “speculation”, finding out the cause for the latest fatality may not be enough. Some cheetah deaths were expected initially as the reintroduction project was an experiment to have a stable population of the wild cat over a long period of time. However, what experts have pointed out as being strange is that mortalities happened in the enclosed bomas where they were far less expected and when the cats are in the wild. In fact, the most recent fatality, Surya, is the only one to have died in the wild. The Environment Ministry’s official statement emphasised that all the animal deaths so far could be attributed to “natural causes.” It is important to note at this juncture, however, that it would do good for the authorities right now to address some of the existing concerns around Project Cheetah. It has been pointed out by multiple experts that Kuno National Park may not be enough to handle all the cats and that the staff there is stretched. [Experts have also recently recommended]( roping in more and senior veterinarians in order to understand the health conditions of the felines and for better monitoring of the reintroduction programme. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Something special: On 25 years of the India-France strategic partnership]( [Arrow][Flood feud: On lessons from the floods in North India]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Apart from the Akali Dal, which erstwhile member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was being expected to make a return to the grouping? - Apna Dal (Sonelal) - Telugu Desam Party - National People’s Party - Hindustani Awam Morcha To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. [Sign up for free]( [[Preparations underway at Kargil War Memorial ahead of 24th Vijay Diwas] Preparations underway at Kargil War Memorial ahead of 24th Vijay Diwas]( [[Fire in battery box of Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat train; no casualty] Fire in battery box of Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat train; no casualty]( [[India, U.S. commit to strengthening ties, look for alternatives to fund energy transition] India, U.S. commit to strengthening ties, look for alternatives to fund energy transition]( [[Dacoits attack Hindu temple with rocket launchers in Pakistan] Dacoits attack Hindu temple with rocket launchers in Pakistan]( Copyright @ 2023, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( Manage your newsletter subscription preferences [here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](