One of the four cubs born to Namibian cheetah, Jwala, at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh died, marking the fourth fatality among the felines in the past two months.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the cub, born two months ago, died because of “weakness”. At the spot where they had previously been seen, a monitoring team found one of the cubs motionless, while the other three were seen moving around with their mother. The team promptly alerted veterinarians, who rushed to the site to administer essential medical care to the ailing cub.
Despite their best efforts, the cub did not survive.
According to the forest department, the cub had shown signs of fragility ever since it was born, and its vulnerability was probably a factor in its demise.
Jwala, formerly known as Siyaya, was brought to Kuno National Park in MP’s Sheopur district from Namibia in September 2022, and gave birth to four cubs in the last week of March, bringing hope to the conservation efforts at the park. Of the 20 cheetahs translocated to Kuno from Namibia and South Africa, 17 are alive now, along with three cubs. A female cheetah by the name of Daksha passed away on May 9 following "violent interaction" with two male cheetahs, possibly during mating. On April 23, a cheetah named Uday passed away after becoming ill, while on March 27, a cheetah from Namibia named Sasha passed away due to kidney problems.