Officials at Kuno National Park are constantly checking for any infections or abnormalities for her well being
A file photo of the litter born to Jwala earlier this year
On March 29, 2023, Namibian female cheetah Jwala gave birth to a litter of four cubs. But three have died since of severe dehydration and weakness.
The only cub in the litter to survive, a female, is now 3.5 months old. The cub is also the only cheetah born in India so far. The little cheetah offers hope for the project to reintroduce the species to the Indian subcontinent even as the deaths of these cats continue to threaten its success.
On September 17, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released eight cheetahs brought from Namibia into an enclosure or boma built in Kuno National Park (KNP), Madhya Pradesh. A few months later on February 18, 2023, another batch of a dozen cheetahs was brought from South Africa to KNP.
However, since March 2023, seven cheetahs including three cubs have lost their lives due to renal and cardiac failure, mating, severe dehydration and infighting.
The female cub, who is yet to be named by officials, remains under the close supervision of the monitoring team.
J S Chauhan, principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) and wildlife warden said, “The female cheetah is doing well and her vital statistics are good. She has also put on weight,” he said.
Chauhan said the female cub is staying close to her mother, but is cared for by staff to meet her feeding requirements. “Taking care of the cub is similar to taking care of a baby. But it is to be noted that the cub is a wild animal and unlike a domesticated dog, cannot be interfered with much,” he said. “We have to ensure minimum intervention possible and be careful so that her wild instincts do not die,” Chauhan added.
To monitor her health, officials take stool samples to examine any parasitic growth or infection in the cub. “At present, utmost care is being taken to ensure the safety and good health of the cub,” he said.
However, Chauhan noted that it will take months to know how the cub will fare in the wild. “We have to ensure that her mother accepts her as she has lived in an enclosure and teaches her hunting skills as the bond grows. For now, we are confident as Jwala herself was born in captivity in Namibia and has managed to hunt and even reproduce after moving to India,” he said.
He added that the female cub’s behaviour and growth in the coming months will determine if she will be able to survive in the wild. “If the mother does not accept her, the cub will have to be taken care of in the enclosure for the rest of her life,” he cautioned.
But for now, the cub is getting adequate nutrition. She is also spending time playing and exploring the area around her habitat, the official said.
The cheetah was declared extinct in the Indian subcontinent in 1952. Project Cheetah aims to conserve grasslands and open forest ecosystems in India through their reintroduction.
According to the Action Plan devised by the central government, 50 cheetahs will make India their home in the coming decade. Of these, 21 cheetahs are expected to survive at the end of 15 years.
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