Govt takes responsibility for death of cheetahs at Kuno National Park: Minister
The Union Environment Minister asserted that the translocation project will be a major success
PremiumUnion Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav Thursday took responsibility for the death of the three cheetahs and as many cubs dying at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in past three months.
"We take responsibility for whatever happened," he was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI. The Union Environment Minister asserted that the translocation project will be a major success. The ministers’ statement came following the death of two cheetah cubs last month at the national park.
The death of three adult cheetahs in March and April and three out of the four cubs born to a female Namibian cheetah, Sisaya, has prompted questions from several experts on the suitability of the habitat and wildlife management.
"It's an international project and we had anticipated mortality. It's mentioned in our report too (cheetah introduction action plan). One of the cheetahs was unwell before it even came to India. We have provided the reasons for the deaths of the two other (adult) cheetahs, the minister said.
"The three cubs died due to extreme heat. The temperature soared to 47 degrees Celsius... We take responsibility for whatever happened. However, the project will be a major success and the whole country will be proud of it," the added.
The government has set up an 11-member high-level steering committee to review and monitor the progress of the Cheetah reintroduction programme following the death of two cheetah cubs last week.
Earlier this week, when the steering committee met for the first time, it decided to release seven more cheetahs, including two females, into the wild by the third week of June. Seven out of 17 remaining adult cheetahs, have already been released into the wild.
The experts involved in the project have maintained that the mortalities are within the normal range. The action plan for cheetah reintroduction anticipated up to 50% mortality in the first year of relocation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the first batch of eight cheetahs from Namibia into a quarantine enclosure at Kuno in Madhya Pradesh on September 17 last year. In a second translocation, twelve South African cheetahs werwe released into the national park in February 18
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