'Don't make it prestige issue': Supreme Court tells Centre on cheetah deaths in Madhya Pradesh

Supreme Court on Thursday (July 20) sought the Centre's response on the sequential deaths of cheetahs at the Kuno National Park saying '40% of deaths occurring within a year does not reflect a good picture'.

In the past four months, a total of eight cheetahs, including three cubs, have tragically lost their lives at the national park. Among them, two recent deaths were attributed to an alleged skin infection called septicaemia, supposedly caused by radio collars abrasion. These incidents have raised serious concerns about the monitoring of cheetahs in the park.

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The Supreme Court has also intervened in the matter, urging the central government not to treat it as a mere prestige issue, emphasizing the significance of addressing the concerning deaths of these felines. Reiterating its earlier recommendation from May, the court advised the Centre to explore alternative habitats for the cheetahs, regardless of the state's location.

The government has agreed to submit its response, and the court will reconvene on August 1 to further discuss the matter. In response to the unfortunate events, a steering committee meeting was held, leading to the decision to transfer Madhya Pradesh's chief wildlife warden and the head of the cheetah project at the national park, Jasbir Singh Chauhan.

Currently, the KNP is home to 15 cheetahs, with four residing in the enclosure and 11 roaming freely in the wild. Additionally, one cub, abandoned by its mother, is now under the care of forest officials.

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• Cheetah
• Death
• Feline
• Kuno National Park
• Madhya Pradesh
• Septicaemia
• Skin infection
• Supreme Court
• Infection