Madhya Pradesh: 8th Cheetah death reported at Kuno National Park; deets inside
Bhopal, July 14: Another Cheetah named Suraj passed away at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, an official statement said on Friday. With this, the total number of deaths of cheetahs in the state has risen to eight.
Confirming the death of cheetah named Suraj, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest JS Chouhan said the cause of the death would be known after the postmortem.
"One more male Cheetah named Suraj has died in Kuno, taking the total number to eight. The cause of death will be known after the postmortem. There are frequent deaths in such projects. If these deaths are taking place naturally then we shouldn’t panic," he said, adding that, "We are trying to ensure that no further deaths take place. All necessary actions are being taken."
MP Forest Minister Vijay Shah said the reason for the death would be only apparent after the postmortem was done. "I have received the information, but a postmortem is being done. I will be able to say anything only after that," he said.
Earlier, Madhya Pradesh former Chief Minister and state Congress chief Kamal Nath on Wednesday slammed the BJP-led government and alleged all cheetahs would die due to mismanagement of the state government.
"All cheetahs will die due to mismanagement of the BJP government. Be it women, be it cheetahs or be it adivasis, no one is safe in Madhya Pradesh," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released the eight cheetahs (five females and three males) brought from Namibia at Kuno National Park on the occasion of his birthday on September 17, last year, as part of an effort to revive the extinct cheetahs in India.
Another 12 cheetahs were brought from South Africa in February this year. The cheetah was declared extinct from India in 1952.
Under the ambitious Project Cheetah of the Indian government, the reintroduction of wild species particularly cheetahs was undertaken according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines.
India has a long history of wildlife conservation. One of the most successful wildlife conservation ventures 'Project Tiger', which was initiated way back in 1972, has not only contributed to the conservation of tigers but also to the entire ecosystem.
- ANI
