Autopsy of male cheetah Tejas raises apprehensions on Project Cheetah

The death of translocated African male cheetah named Tejas at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP) - the seventh cheetah death in five months has again raised apprehensions on this ambitious project, after its autopsy report revealed that the male cheetah was under-weight and was suffering from multiple diseases.

South African cheetah Tejas, who reportedly died of traumatic shock, weighted 43 kg at the age of five and a half years, much bellow the average of 55-60 kg, according to MP Forest Department officials associated with cheetah project.

The apprehensions raised over health of Tejas are similar after first cheetah Sasha died ofa kidney ailment and then it had said that it was suffering of related problems before its translocation in March this year.

Tejas's autopsy reports revealed that lungs, heart, spleen, and kidney were not found in normal condition and appeared compromised.

"Heart was having chicken fat in the aorta and auricle. Kidney was pulpy and no demarcation was found between the cortex and medulla. Spleen was having emphysema and white nodules. Due to this compromised health condition, probably, it could not recover from the trauma caused by external injuries,” the report said.

The issue of Tejas being underweight has also raises more questions, as to why was the cheetah in a poor health condition translocated to India and why did no one notice until the post-mortem?

Tejas was the seventh cheetah which died at KNP after 20 cheetahs were translocated from South Africa and Namibia in September last year and February this year respectively.