Project Cheetah: Pawan becomes the tenth to die in Kuno

India’s ambitious ‘Project Cheetah’ received yet another setback on Tuesday, 27 August, as one more feline, Pawan, died at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, a forest official said.

Pawan (Indian name) was among the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia on 1 September 2022 and released at Kuno National Park (KNP) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of his birthday.

The male cheetah was found lying near the edge of a swollen nullah amidst the bushes, without any movement, at around 10.30 a.m., per a statement issued by the office of the additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) and director of the Lion Project, Uttam Sharma.

“No external injuries were seen anywhere on the body. The exact reason for the death of cheetah Pawan would be known after the autopsy, which is being conducted by a group of veterinarians, is done,” Sharma said.

Sources have told IANS that Pawan was found lying in a drain located in Morena district.

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, who posted the news of Pawan’s death on his social media account, claimed that 'Cheetah Pawan was found dead in a drain earlier in the day; however, KNP did not disclose it for the next few hours.'

He further said the death of the ‘strongest’ cheetah — Pawan — has raised many questions about the KNP and has also raised concern about the safety of other felines living there. [ED: We have been unable to locate the post in question]

'Pawan was the strongest and fittest among other cheetahs. This was the reason he was set in an open forest to venture. It’s a big setback for the project, which is part of the investigation,' Dubey added.

There have been several instances when the forest officials had to struggle to locate Pawan, as he used to move out beyond the enclosure earmarked for the cheetahs at Kuno.

Significantly, this setback comes at a time when some of the cheetahs were set to be released into open forest again and a second site was under preparation.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which is the nodal agency for ‘Project Cheetah’ recently held a meeting with top wildlife and forest officials associated with Kuno National Park in New Delhi. The fitness of cheetah Pawan and his successful venturing into open forest areas was one of the main reasons the NTCA was planning to release some more big cats into open forests.

Pawan is the eighth adult cheetah that has died since 20 cheetahs were transported from Namibia and South Africa in two different phases between September 2022 and February 2023.

Now, there are 24 cheetahs remaining in Kuno — 12 adults and 12 cubs, all born at this national park.

Under the translocation project, 20 cheetahs were brought to India in two batches — eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa last February — of which seven had died by January 2024.

The adult cheetahs gave birth to 17 cubs, of which 12 survived.