African Cheetah Under Treatment At Kuno National Park Dies

New Delhi: The African cheetah undergoing treatment at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park has died. Park authorities announced the death in a press release on June 6. 

“Today, Indian-born female cheetah KGP11, aged 27 months, died while under treatment at the veterinary facility in Palpur,” the note said. “Despite all efforts by the veterinary and field teams, she succumbed to her injuries this evening.”

Park authorities had taken the cheetah into captivity when they found her injured in Kuno on June 1, according to a press note on June 3. On June 4, authorities said that a “detailed examination” had revealed internal haemorrhage, and that the cheetah was being “further treated for injury”.

On both days, in response to queries from The Wire, Field Director of the Park and Assistant Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Uttam Kumar Sharma had declined to comment on the nature of the cheetah’s injuries, or what may have caused them. It was “under investigation," he had told The Wire. 

Per the latest press note informing of the cheetah’s death, the postmortem will be conducted today (June 7). 

“The exact cause of death will be known after the post-mortem examination report is received,” it said.

With this death, the total number of cheetahs in India is 52. Kuno National Park is home to 49 cheetahs, of which 32 are Indian-born. Of these, 19 are currently ranging freely in the wild. 

The last deaths were of four cheetah cubs on May 12, when authorities discovered their partially-eaten bodies in the Park.

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