A six-year-old cheetah named Uday passed away at the Kuno National Park on Monday after suffering a heart attack, officials from Madhya Pradesh Forest Department confirmed.
According to the reports, the heart attack might have occurred due to the presence of a toxin in the bloodstream of the animal. The post-mortem report is yet to be received by the veterinarians.
Principal Chief Conservator Of Forest (PCCF) of Madhya Pradesh, JS Chauhan said, “In the preliminary post-mortem (PM) report, the cause of death is stated to be cardiopulmonary failure. The detailed PM report and the blood test report are awaited to know the reason behind other health parameters of the cheetah.”
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A six-year-old cheetah named Uday passed away at the Kuno National Park yesterday. 20 big cats were brought in from Namibia in South Africa as a part of the translocation project to reintroduce the species in the country which got extinct back in 1952.
It is reported that during a routine check, the cheetah was found weak and his walk was not normal and had a semi-paralysed neck. He was immediately taken in a quarantined enclosure but unfortunately died within a few hours.
Uday was a part of the 20 big cats that were brought in from Namibia in South Africa in February early this year.
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A South African veterinarian, Adrian Tordiffe had also come to India to keep a check on the big cats and monitor their relocation. He said, “Cardiopulmonary failure is a symptom not a real cause behind death. The blood samples will reveal the real cause.” He continued with his observation of Uday, “I discussed Uday’s symptoms with veterinarians treating him and the way he was walking in the enclosure, his neck was looking semi-paralysed. He might have died due to botulism, toxins entering the body either through prey or water, which may have affected his nervous system.” He also mentioned that no other cheetahs have shown similar symptoms as of now.
Uday was raised in Waterberg Biosphere Reserve of South Africa before he was sent to India, according to media reports. Uday is not the first cheetah among the 20 to have died, as last month Sasha succumbed due to renal failure. Their deaths don’t look very similar to the experts.
“The two cheetahs died of different reasons. The forest department will evaluate the reasons for deaths and will devise a strategy to save other cheetahs. A large number of cheetahs were brought to India because of the high fatality rate. There is no need to make it (the deaths) a big issue, “ said the Chief executive officer of the Wildlife Conservation Trust Anish Andheria.
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According to reports, the Madhya Pradesh forest department has sent a letter to the National Tiger Conservation Authority to find a new home for the big cats.
