Prognosis not good, chances of survival are bleak, says source
Sasha is one of the eight cheetahs brought to Kuno National Park of Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh on September 17, 2022 from Namibia. Photo: Cheetah Conservation Fund One of the eight cheetahs brought to Kuno National Park (KNP) of Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh on September 17, 2022 from Namibia, has fallen ill. She is undergoing treatment under veterinarians and has been kept in quarantine for the time being.
Sources on condition of anonymity have confirmed that the cheetah is severely ill and she may not make it.
“This is not an infection, her kidneys are failing. This happens with cheetahs sometimes and their organs stop functioning. Though she is being sustained on fluids, her chances of survival are very bleak,” the source told Down To Earth in a telephonic conversation.
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Five-year-old Sasha in Namibia. Photo: Cheetah Conservation Fund
Five-year-old female cheetah Sasha, who was found on a farm near Gobabis, Namibia, in late 2017 in a malnourished state, was nursed back to health by farm workers. The staff of the international body Cheetah Conservation Fund moved her to their Namibia centre in January 2018.
Sasha was brought to India last year as part of the first batch of cheetahs in the world’s first intercontinental translocation of big cats.
“Around four days ago, we found out that Sasha was not as fit as the others and was showing signs of dehydration. We immediately shifted her to the quarantine bomas to isolate her and keep her under constant observation as her treatment began,” said J S Chouhan, the principal chief conservator of forests.
Three doctors, in consultation with conservationist Y V Jhala and experts from the Cheetah Conservation Fund of Namibia, were treating the cheetah.
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“We have veterinarians in KNP and Hamidia Hospital of Bhopal who are looking after the big cat. All her haematological tests are also being conducted as prescribed by the veterinarians,” he added.
Sasha is also being given soft food, like animals’ vital organs like the liver, as they are easy to digest and provide nutrition during illness.
“Even if she survives, she may be able to pull through for perhaps a year maximum,” the source added.
The other seven cheetahs are now in the five square km enclosure and will soon be released into the wild, as per the forest officials.
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