Kuno Cheetah Project Marks Two Years With Mixed Results; 8 Cheetahs Dead, Tourist Numbers Remain Low

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Cheetah Project of Kuno National Park has completed two years, a journey that has been a roller-coaster ride. Out of 20 adult cheetahs brought from Namibia and South Africa, eight are dead. Out of 17 cubs born in Kuno, five are no more. The remaining 12 cheetahs are inside the enclosures, waiting to be released in jungle. When Cheetah Project rolled out, many thought that Kuno will see windfall of tourists but that didn’t happen. In all 1,459 tourists visited Kuno National Park in 2022-23 followed by 3,172 in 2023-24. The figures show that a few people showed interest. The reason for poor tourist footfall is that cheetahs remained inside enclosures and far away from public view.

Kuno & casualties

On September 17, 2022, Kuno shot to international fame when Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a few cheetahs out of eight brought from Namibia. In February 2023, 12 more cheetahs were brought from South Africa, taking the total to 20. The first year of Cheetah Project saw death of six adult cheetahs. The first to die was Sasha due to renal failure. The second death was of South African cheetah Uday. The third death was of Daksha. She died during violent encounter with a male during mating attempt.

Later, Namibian female cheetah Tblishi and two South African male cheetahs Tejas and Sooraj died due to septicemia. This condition arose from wounds beneath their dense winter coat on the back and neck regions, which became infested with maggots and subsequently led to septicemia. The remaining three cubs born in Kuno perished due to extreme heat. In 2024, two adult cheetahs Shaurya and Pawan died. Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey said Cheetah Project had actually turned into a captive breeding centre. He said accountability be fixed on officials for cheetah deaths.

Cubs’ birth in 2024

In all, 13 cubs took birth in Kuno in 2024. Asha gave birth to three cubs, Jwala birthed four cubs and Gamini gave birth to 6 cubs. Gamini’s two cubs died after few days of birth. Wildlife lovers are praying for the success of project and hoping that tourists will be able to see cheetahs from close range.

Staff shortage

There is shortage of field staff in Kuno National Park, which may affect forest and wild animal conservation. This has been revealed in inspection report of Kuno. There is shortage of forest ranger, deputy forest ranger, forester etc. According to report, the sanctioned post of forest ranger is 14 and against them, only 8 are filled. Likewise, the total sanctioned posts of deputy forest ranger are 12 and only 6 are filled. The sanctioned posts of forester are 45 and only 15 posts are filled. Thirty posts of foresters are vacant.