Madhya Pradesh

• 28 Aug 2024

Another Cheetah Dies in Kuno National Park

Why in News?

According to the forest officials from Madhya Pradesh, one more cheetah has died in the Kuno National Park. The Preliminary cause of death seems to be due to drowning.

Key Points

• This marks the death of the eighth cheetah out of the 20 relocated from South Africa and Namibia to India.
• Most of the cheetahs are currently in special enclosures and are expected to be released into the wild starting in October, once the monsoon season ends.
  • All the animals are reportedly under surveillance via radio-collars and their movement is getting tracked.

Kuno National Park

• Kuno National Park which is located in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district is home to several cheetahs translocated from Namibia and South Africa.
  • Project Cheetah in India formally commenced on September 17, 2022, to restore the population of cheetahs, which were declared extinct in the country in 1952.

Radio Collars

• Radio collars are used to track and monitor animals in the wild.
• They consist of a collar with a small radio transmitter.
• Collars provide data on animal behavior, migration, and population dynamics.
  • They can be combined with GPS or accelerometers for additional information.
• Collars are designed to be lightweight and comfortable for animals.