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Kuno cheetahs could be released into the wild after the monsoon

Bhopal: All 13 adult cheetahs in Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh state, India, have developed a new, thick winter coat on their backs, but have not been affected by maggot infestation so far due to the proactive measures taken by KNP authorities during the current monsoon.

The cheetahs in Kuno are native to Africa, where winter begins at this time of year. As a result, the adult cheetahs in Kuno have now developed thick winter fur on their backs, which is a genetic problem.

“All adult cheetahs in KNP have now developed thick winter fur on their backs, which is a genetic problem. But this time (during monsoon), there was not a single case of maggot infestation among them as we took disinfection measures before the onset of monsoon,” KNP Field Director Uttam Kumar Sharma told this newspaper on Saturday.

During the last monsoon, three cheetahs in Kuno succumbed to maggot infestation, forcing authorities to move all surviving cheetahs to large enclosures for regular health monitoring.

The rain moistens the fur of the cheetahs, who tend to rub the affected body part on a hard surface to find relief, resulting in bleeding injuries on their backs. This leads to maggot infestation in them.

“A special ointment, an anti-ectoparasite drug, was procured from South Africa and applied to the cheetahs, which have developed thick fur on their backs. This saved the cheetahs from maggot infestation,” said Mr Sharma.

There are currently 13 adult cheetahs and 12 cubs in the KNP.

Meanwhile, with the exception of the male cheetah Pavan, the remaining 24 big cats have been kept in the large enclosures for almost a year.

According to sources, a decision has yet to be made as to when the other 24 cheetahs will be released into the wild.

In Kuno, only Pavan currently occurs in the wild.

“The cheetahs will be released into the wild when we find that they are comfortable there,” a senior forest officer stationed at the KNP told this newspaper, asking not to be quoted.

In a related development, the Cheetah Conservation Steering Committee met in Delhi on Friday to review the cheetah project, sources said.

According to sources, the committee has decided to release the cheetahs into the wild in a phased manner after the monsoon.

All 25 cheetahs in the KNP are in good health, a forest official said.

In September 2022, eight cheetahs were brought to Kuno from Namibia as part of the first intercontinental translocation of carnivores. A few months later, 12 more cheetahs were brought to Kuno from South Africa.

Several cheetahs died for various reasons during this period, while three female cheetahs gave birth to cubs.

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