Last year, India brought in eight cheetahs from Namibia in hopes of reviving India’s cheetah population. On March 27, one of these eight cheetahs, Sasha, a female cheetah, breathed her last in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. The death of this five-year-old female cheetah due to illness, looks like a setback in India’s project to reintroduce cheetahs.
Female Cheetah Sasha Dies
The five-year-old female Cheetah brought to India from Nambiar last year was found dead in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. According to the reports, the cheetah died an untimely death due to a kidney related ailment.
According to Times Travel, in January, last year, Sasha was diagnosed with a kidney related disease. An emergency medical response team was sent to Kuno immediately by the Madhya Pradesh department. The early assessments revealed that the animal was suffering from renal disease and dehydration.
Then a team of veterinarians, led by Dr. Atul Gupta, was sent to the National Park. Fluids were administered by the doctors, which reportedly improved Sasha’s condition slightly. But not much could be done to save the life of this animal, as chronic kidney diseases are common among these animals.
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Thorough Investigation Will Be Conducted
The authorities will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the exact reason behind the death.
Eight cheetahs were airlifted from Namibia to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno on September 17, 2022, and Sasha was one of them. The animals are under the eyes of Madhya Pradesh Forest Department staff and Wildlife Institute Of India (WII) and are adapting well to this new environment.
After 70 years of extinction, India welcomed cheetahs into its territory last year. These majestic animals were quarantined for a home after they landed down in India. According to the rules, animals must be quarantined for a month after being relocated from one continent to another.
The cheetahs were initially quarantined in small spaces before being moved to a slightly larger space. After a few months of getting used to each other, the animals were finally released into the wild. The cheetah reintroduction programme in India was supposed to begin in 2019, but it was postponed due to the pandemic.
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Rest in peace Sasha
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