Good News from Kuno: Cheetah to give birth

 

 

After some setbacks of the sudden and unexpected deaths of several cheetahs in Kuno National Park, there is good news for wild life lovers and forest management team of the region as Cheetah here to soon give birth to cubs. Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav took to X and posted, “Happiness is coming to Kuno National Park with the birth of cubs. A cheetah in the Kuno National Park has conceived and is going to give birth to cubs.” “This news is a symbol of a big achievement of the 'Cheetah Project'. Respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi This project started under the leadership of ji is proving to be continuously improving the ecological balance,” the post added. This news has ushered in a fresh wave of happiness among the management with members not being able to keep their calm regarding the birth of the cubs. For the unversed, the total area of the Kuno National Park has been increased to 1,77,000 square feet after the addition of 54,249 hectares of forest area of Sheopur and Shivpuri.

 

With the increase in the total area of the park, new cheetahs as well as animals of different species will be able to move around comfortably. Meanwhile, officials are also keeping a close watch on seven cheetah cubs who have a tick infestation because they have no prior experience of anesthetising them in the open forest. The cubs were born to female cheetahs Asha and Gamini. Even in the past, a heightened risk of tick outbreaks was observed during the monsoon season. The cubs were born to female cheetahs Asha and Gamini. Four cubs born to Jwala too had undergone treatment with an anti-tick medication, which helped with the problem. However, applying the same treatment to Asha’s three cubs, aged over eight months, and Gamini’s four cubs, aged around six months, posed unique challenges. According to the park’s management, the cubs’ “young age, combined with their location in expansive soft-release bomas, makes the tranquilisation process risky and complicated.”

 

Although, the case of these seven cubs is different from that of nine-month-old cub Mukhi. Mukhi was anesthetised for treatment at around 9 months of age, but this procedure was carried out in a small space within the quarantine boma, where the cub had limited room for movement. Reuniting tranquilised cubs with their mothers is also a concern, as previous attempts have seen mothers reject their cubs after separation, as was the case with Mukhi last year. Activists are also up in arms on grounds that here officials are not experienced to deal such situation. The ‘Cheetah’ project On September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight cheetahs -- five females and three males -- brought from Namibia into enclosures at the KNP as part of the world's first intercontinental translocation of the big cats, nearly eight decades after the cheetahs were hunted to extinction. In February 2023, another 12 cheetahs were translocated to the national park in Madhya Pradesh from South Africa as part of the Indian government's project to reintroduce cheetahs into the country.