Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh reported another mortality on Monday. An 18-month-old female cub of Namibian cheetah Jwala was found dead in the afternoon, forest officials said. Cause of death remains unknown, body sent for post-mortem.
This takes the toll under Project Cheetah to 18 since September 2022, when eight Namibian and later 12 South African cheetahs were brought as part of the ambitious reintroduction program that had seen monitoring by officials regularly since its inception.
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The cub's death comes amid a new litter boom - Jwala had given birth to three cubs less than a month ago, the nation witnessed baby booms. But survival of cubs born in Indian conditions, with heat, humidity, tick-borne infections and inbreeding risks, has been low.
For the Forest Department, every death triggers same cycle: inquiry, post-mortem, statement that mortality is expected in any reintroduction. Globally, cheetah reintroduction projects have 50% first-year mortality. India's is higher.
But the larger ecological question persists. Cheetahs went extinct in India in 1952 due to habitat loss and hunting. Kuno was selected after years of study as alternative home for Asiatic lions, not cheetahs. Its prey base of chital is still being augmented, its grasslands are fragmented by villages, and its veterinary support depends on experts flown from Namibia and South Africa.
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Critics argue India is trying to fit an African savannah species into a dry deciduous forest with leopards, competition and human pressure. Supporters say without trying, we will never know, and Kuno's protection has improved because of cheetahs.
The government now plans to expand to Gandhi Sagar and other sites. Before that, transparency is needed. The last Cheetah Action Plan was not made public, deaths were announced late, and independent scientists were kept out.
A cub dying at 18 months is not just statistic. It is symbol that bringing species back is easier than bringing ecosystem back.
Tags: #KunoNationalPark #Cheetah #ProjectCheetah #NamibianCheetah #Wildlife #MadhyaPradesh #Jwala #Conservation #AfricanCheetah #ForestDepartment