One of 12 cheetahs sent to India has died

One of the 12 cheetahs relocated from South Africa to India in February has died.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) confirmed the mortality of one of the cheetahs relocated to India, as part of an initiative to expand the cheetah population in the South Asia country.

According to the memorandum of understanding between the two countries, the initiative also sought to reintroduce cheetahs to India, following their extinction due to over-hunting and loss of habitat in the last century.

The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952.

A cheetah relocated from Namibia as part of this initiative in September 2022, also died.

DFFE spokesperson Peter Mbelengwa said his department “awaits a diagnosis (an autopsy) for the [recent] death, but there is no indication that it was caused by an infectious disease or that there is a similar threat to any of the other cheetahs.”

He said the remainder of the cheetahs was in larger enclosures and monitored twice daily.

“As they are wild cheetahs, their behaviour, movements and body condition must be evaluated from a distance, limiting the ability of teams on the ground to gain precise knowledge of their health status.”

Mbelengwa said the large carnivore reintroduction was extremely complex and comprised of inherently risky operations.

“This is a critical phase of the project, with cheetahs being released into larger environments where there is increasingly less control over their day-to-day well-being. The risks of injury and mortality will be increasing, and these risks are factored into the reintroduction plan.

“The remaining 11 South African cheetahs will be released into free-ranging conditions over the next two months,” he said.

He said Kuno national park, in India, was an unfenced protected park populated by leopards, wolves, sloth bears and striped hyenas that roam about freely.

“It is anticipated that, as observed with cheetah reintroductions in Africa, a few of the founder population may be lost within the first-year post-release.

“Many of the released cheetahs will escape the boundaries of Kuno and may have to go through short-term stress during the recapture process. Once the cheetahs have established home ranges, the situation will stabilise.”

The cheetahs were made available by Phinda game reserve (3), Tswalu Kalahari reserve (3), Waterberg Biosphere (3), Kwandwe game reserve (2) and Mapesu game reserve (1).

DFFE minister Barbara Creecy said worldwide, cheetah numbers had declined from an estimated 15 000 adults in 1975 to the current less than 7 000.

Creecy said restoring cheetah populations to India was vital and had far-reaching conservation consequences.

She said these included re-establishing the role of cheetah within the historical range in India and improving the livelihood as well as economies of local communities.

University of Pretoria veterinarian and part of the relocation team Adrian Tordiffe (48), previously said he was excited to reintroduce the extinct mammals to India as they could benefit the ecosystem of the country.

“The reintroduction of cheetahs into India can benefit many other species that don’t necessarily have the same charisma or appeal. While this project will almost certainly benefit the worldwide cheetah population, it has the potential to benefit many other species as well,” he said.

“Wild cheetahs are notoriously sensitive to the effects of stress during translocation. Historically, we have had problems with a high mortality rate.”

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