Explained: Why are the cheetahs of Kuno dying?

New Delhi: Suraj, the male cheetah brought from Africa, breathed his last at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh on Friday. He was the eighth cheetah to die in the park in Sheopur district since March this year. Just three days ago, another male cheetah named Tejas also died in the park. Wildlife experts are divided on how much space is needed for cheetahs to thrive. Some say that a single cheetah requires 100 square kilometers, while others argue that it is difficult to estimate. A female cheetah may require up to 400 square kilometers.

Here’s why African cheetahs are dying in Kuno:

lack of space

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Several experts, including the Supreme Court, have raised doubts about the adequacy of space and facilities at Kuno Park in Madhya Pradesh and have suggested shifting the cheetahs to other sanctuaries. Wildlife experts disagree on how much space should be left for a cheetah’s habitat. Some say that a single cheetah requires 100 square kilometers, while others argue that it is difficult to estimate. A female cheetah may require up to 400 square kilometers. The core area of ​​KNP is 748 square kilometers, while the buffer zone is 487 square kilometers.

Senior wildlife journalist Deshdeep Saxena expressed concern about the release of 14 more cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa and stressed the need for an additional 4,000 square kilometers of landscape adjacent to the KNP to accommodate them.

No fenced cheetah habitat in India

In an interview to news agency PTI, South African wildlife expert Vincent van der Merwe said India should fence two or three habitats for cheetahs as there has never been a successful revival in a reserve without a fence in recorded history Is. Earlier in April, Merwe warned that the reintroduction project would see even more deaths over the next few months as cheetahs try to establish territory and encounter leopards and tigers in Kuno National Park.

Van der Merwe, who has been closely involved with the project, said that although cheetah deaths are within acceptable limits, the team of experts that recently reviewed the project did not expect the South African male to die during courtship. The female cheetah will kill and “they do it.” Its full responsibility.”

“There has never been a successful reintroduction to a reserve without a fence in recorded history. It has been attempted 15 times in South Africa and it has failed every time. We are not advocating that India lose all its Cheetah sanctuaries should be fenced, what we are saying is just put two or three fences and create source reserve to augment the sink reserve,” Van der Merwe told PTI.

Find alternate sites for cheetahs

In April, the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department wrote a letter to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, requesting an “alternative” site for the cheetahs at Kuno, where three adult cheetahs died in less than two months Is.

Van der Merwe, manager of the Cheetah Metapopulation Project in South Africa, said the best way forward now would be to bring at least three or four cheetahs to the Mukundra Hills and allow them to breed there.

“Mukundara Hills is completely fenced. We know that cheetahs will do very well there. The only problem is that it is not fully fenced at the moment. So you will have to bring some black bucks and chinkaras. And when The fencing will be completed in Nauradehi and Gandisagar, we will have three fenced reserves and then we are definitely winning,” he said.

“That’s where the real danger lurks. That’s where you can expect death due to injury to the prey. Cheetahs, of course, will continue to establish territories and fight each other for territories and access to females.” They will kill each other for it. They are going to encounter leopards. Tigers are now roaming in Kuno. The worst deaths are yet to come,” he said.

How many cheetahs are left in Kuno?

Eight cheetahs have died since March. These include Suraj, Tejas and three cubs.
In a high-profile event on 17 September last year, eight Namibian cheetahs – five females and three males – were released into the KNP enclosures in the presence of the prime minister.
In February this year, 12 more cheetahs arrived in KNP from South Africa.
The total number of cheetahs had increased to 24 after the birth of four cubs, but it has come down to 16 after eight deaths.