CHEETAHS IN KUNO - A SPOTTY TRAJECTORY

For a plan that took five decades from conception to fruition, the expectations surrounding Project Cheetah—dubbed as the first intercontinental translocation of a large wild carnivore—are bound to be high. But after a promising start, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi releasing eight cheetahs brought from Namibia at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh last September, the fanfare has given way to an appreciation of starker realities. Mortality among the spotted felines has led to a reevaluation of the whole project.

- Rahul Noronha

The first death was reported in late March—a female, Sasha, dying of “renal complications”. But it was soon followed by the news of the birth of four cubs—a first after the big cat was declared extinct in India seven decades ago. The cheer was short-lived, though. In April, Uday, a male cheetah among the lot of 12 that had arrived from South Africa in February, died of “cardio pulmonary failure”. And then, on May 9, Daksha, another female cheetah, was killed in a “violent mating interaction” with two males. But there was more bad news to come, as in late May, three cubs were lost in quick succession. The lone remaining one, though, is showing signs of recovery and has even gained weight since.