Another cheetah found dead in India's Kuno National Park as furious foreign experts move top court

Another cheetah in India’s Kuno National Park has died this morning, taking the toll to a whopping nine, within a mere five months. The authorities at the park said a post-mortem was being conducted to determine the cause of death.

"A female cheetah, Dhatri (Tiblisi), was found dead this morning. To determine the cause of the death, a post-mortem is being conducted," said a press note.

Nine deaths so far

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Nine cheetahs, including three cubs, have so far died at the national park in India's Madhya Pradesh state. The park had reintroduced 20 adult cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa in September of the previous year. Additionally, four cubs had been born there.

Earlier, two male cheetahs lost their lives in quick succession last month. Tejas passed away on July 11, while Suraj's lifeless body was discovered on July 14. Media reports claimed they died due to infections believed to be caused by their radio collars during excessively wet weather.

However, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change disregarded these claims, deeming them "unscientific".

An autopsy unveiled that Tejas had been unable to recover from a "traumatic shock" following a violent altercation with a female cheetah. Meanwhile, a number of injuries and deaths have been attributed to clashes among cheetahs, as well as health issues such as renal and cardiac failure.

Foreign experts moveSupreme Court

Experts from South Africa and Namibia, all part of the national cheetah project steering committee responsible for the translocation of 20 cheetahs to India since September, have expressed their utter distress to the Supreme Court in a joint letter.

They have raised serious concerns about the management of the project, highlighting how the deaths could have been prevented through better monitoring and timely veterinary care, had their expertise been valued and incorporated.

Watch:Suraj: Eighth cheetah dies at Kuno National Park | In-Depth Analysis

The letter from the South African experts outlined several issues with the current project management, emphasising the "lack of scientific training" among the management team and the "disregard for the opinions of foreign experts".

The letter also described how the experts had to request information and criticised their treatment as mere "window dressing" for the project.

“Very little information has been forthcoming from Kuno regarding the cheetahs and their care. Although we are listed on the Cheetah Project Steering Committee as international experts, we have never been consulted by them or invited to any of their meetings,” the letter read.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE