Second African cheetah dies in Kuno National Park of cardiac failure

A six-year-old male cheetah that was brought to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park from South Africa earlier this year died of cardiac failure April 23, 2023, according to a preliminary report.

Last month Namibian cheetah Sasha died at Kuno following a renal disease.

The cheetah, Uday, was struggling to walk and panting before he was reportedly found dead, according to officials. 

The authorities, who rushed to treat him when he collapsed on the ground, tried to understand the cause of sudden deterioration of his health after looking at the CCTV footage, but could not save him, JS Chauhan, chief wildlife warden at the park, told Down To Earth. A detailed report revealing the cause of the heart attack will be generated soon.

Uday is one of the 12 cheetahs relocated from South Africa on February 18, 2023. He is one of the cheetahs that arrived in the second batch from Namibia in September 2022.

Speaking about taking more precautions on taking care of the wild animals, Chauhan said, “All due precautions are being taken. They are monitored every day and visuals are captured about their movement and health is observed.”

Another cheetah named Pavan had escaped the enclosure earlier this month, Chauhan said.The animal had strayed until Jhansi, he added.

“Wild animals tend to explore territories and it was one such attempt. Pavan was brought back after tranquillising. There could be other such instances as cheetahs tend to travel long distances. It is normal behaviour,” he added.

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