New Delhi bid to avoid adaptation challenges

India considered sourcing new cheetahs from Somalia, Tanzania, Sudan and other range countries closer to the equator or in the Northern Hemisphere to avoid biorhythm complications observed in big cats brought from Southern Hemisphere countries like South Africa and Namibia, according to records.

Due to the differences in circadian rhythms between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, some cheetahs developed thick winter coats during the Indian summer and monsoon last year, anticipating the African winter (June to September).

Three of the cheetahs Namibian female and two South African males - died after wounds beneath their winter coats, on their backs and necks, became infested with maggots and led to blood infections.