Namibia's Oban, who became India's breezy Pawan in Kuno, found dead

Five-year-old Namibian Cheetah Pawan, who made Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park his freewheeling home, was found dead near an overflowing drain in the conservation facility on Tuesday (Aug27).

This is the eighth such fatality after the wild cats were translocated from Africa to India.

Befitting to his name Pawan, literally meaning breeze, the wild cat roamed around Kuno and often went out of the designated enclosure. He leaves behind two litters of seven cubs, one each with Cheetahs Asha and Jwala.

Due to his freewheeling nature, Pawan was selected as the first cheetah from his batch to be released into the wild on 11 March 2023.

After being released into the wild, Pawan travelled large distances and covered over 300 km to the borders with Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, successfully crossing the Chambal river, Kuno officials said.

According to Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Uttam Sharma, Pawan, was traced at 10:30 am (IST).

Upon closer inspection, veterinarians found the cheetah partly submerged in water.

The front half of the body, including the head, was inside the water, according to a press release.

Pawan had no external injuries or marks on his body, following which the forest officials believe that he died of drowning.

Also watch |Why are cheetah cubs born at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh dying?

Further details would be clear after reports of the samples sent following the post-mortem were received, authorities said.

There are now 24 cheetahs, 12 adults and as many cubs, in the enclosures at Kuno.

Pawan, originally named Oban, was among the first batch of eight cheetahs brought to India from Namibia in September 2022 under Project Cheetah. The second batch of 12 cheetahs was flown in from South Africa last February. The programme was started by the government to restore the population of cheetahs in the country.

Eight adult cheetahs—three females and five males—have died in Kuno so far. Four of them fell to septicemia. Seventeen cubs have been born of which 12 survived.

(With inputs from agencies)