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Last updated: July 15, 2023, 6:40 PM IST
The minister’s remarks come amid concerns expressed by some experts about the Leopard project. (image file/ccf)
While a South African expert suggested that septicemia caused by radio collars could be a possible cause of the deaths of two male cheetahs in parliament this week, another expert said only a post-mortem report would determine the exact cause.
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupinder Yadav said on Saturday that leopards will continue to remain in Kono National Park in Madhya Pradesh and assured that the project will be successful. We are in contact with experts, including international experts. Our team will visit there. The minister said that they will not be transferred and will only stay in Qunu.
Yadav’s remarks came amid concern expressed by some experts on the Cheetah project. While a South African expert suggested that septicemia caused by radio collars could be a possible cause of the deaths of two male cheetahs in parliament this week, another expert said only a post-mortem report would determine the exact cause. A male Suraj cheetah, who was transferred from South Africa, died in Kono National Park (KNP) in Shewpur on Friday, while another male who was transferred from a cheetah Tejas died on Tuesday.
Vincent van der Merwe, an expert on cheetah metabolism in South Africa, said intensely humid conditions cause radio collars to become infected, and that may have been the reason for the death of these cheetahs. The deaths of two cheetahs brought the death toll to eight, including three cubs, in less than four months.
When asked about the fate of the Al-Fahd project in India, Marawi sounded optimistic. “We still have 75 per cent of the founding population alive and well in India. So everything remains on track with the observed mortality rate well within the normal parameters for wild leopard reintroduction,” he added. KNP director Uttam Sharma said they have forwarded the autopsy reports of the two leopards to the higher authorities in Bhopal.
On Friday, Forest Minister Vijay Shah said the exact cause of Suraj’s death would be known from the autopsy report. In response to a question about the deaths, he indicated that the three cubs who died had been suffering from malnutrition since birth, while the other deaths were due to a fight during mating or eating, which is common among animals. The Bhopal Center official of the Indian Meteorological Department said that Sheiopur district, which includes KNP, received 321.9 mm of rain between June 1 and July 15, while the normal rainfall for this period was 161.3 mm.
Eight Namibian cheetahs – five females and three males – were released into the KNP’s quarantine facilities on September 17 last year. In February of this year, another 12 cheetahs arrived at the KNP from South Africa. The birth of four cubs brought the total number of cheetahs to 24, but eight deaths brought the number down to 16.
The country’s fastest land animal was declared extinct in 1952.
(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
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