1 more cheetah dies at Kuno National Park

Bhopal: One more cheetah has died at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, making it the sixth adult feline to have died since March, according to a statement from the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department on Wednesday.

“This morning, one of the female cheetahs - Dhatri (Tiblisi) -- was found dead. To determine the cause of the death, a post-mortem is being conducted,” the statement read.

While 14 cheetahs -- seven males, six females and one female cub -- are kept in the bomas in Kuno, a female cheetah is out in the open and is being intensively monitored by a team. Efforts are on to bring her back to the boma for a health examination, the statement said.

Former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh lashed out at the Modi government

over the latest cheetah death in the Kuno National Park, saying this is what happens when “science and transparency take a backseat”. The Congress general secretary said the argument that all these deaths are expected mortality is “complete nonsense” and has been debunked by international cheetah experts.

Reacting to the development, Ramesh said on Twitter, “Something has really gone wrong at Kuno…The ninth cheetah death took place this morning’. Fourteen cheetahs -- seven males, six females and a female cub -- are kept in enclosures in Kuno. A team comprising

Kuno wildlife veterinarians and a Namibian expert regularly monitors their health.