MP Forest Dept probes 'wanderer' Cheetah Pavan's death

Bhopal: Days after Namibian Cheetah Pavan was found dead at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh, the Forest Department has initiated an inquiry into the death of the big cat.

The department has formed a three-member panel of senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers Pradeep Vasudev, Shri Annagiri and Ritesh Sirothiya to prepare a report, including the reason for the death.

Confirming the development, official sources told IANS that the three-member committee, which was formed on Friday, has been tasked to prepare a detailed report on the death of Pavan and the condition of other cheetahs living at the KNP.

According to KNP authorities, the large cat's body was found near the edge of a swollen nullah in the bushes.

Pavan was the only Cheetah at KNP, who was roaming free in the open forest, was drowned in a swollen nullah, however, no external injuries were seen anywhere on the body, KNP has earlier claimed.

The 'wanderer' Cheetah Pawan had fathered two litters of cubs: three cubs born to cheetah Aasha on January 3, 2024, and four cubs born to cheetah Jwala on January 22, 2024. All the cubs have survived.

Previously named Oban, Pawan was a wild-born grandson of a cheetah rehabilitated by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) at Erindi Private Game Reserve in Namibia. As a second-generation cheetah born in the wild, Pawan was an excellent hunter and had promising prospects for adapting to life in India.

Meanwhile, a wildlife activist Ajay Dube has lodged a complaint to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) - the nodal agency for the 'Project Cheetah' -- raising questions over the death of Pavan.

"Cheetah Pawan was fitted with a radio collar system because he was set to venture into the open forest. However, Pavan's location could not be traced since August 17 and I had alerted through social media. 10 days later, Pavan was found dead," Dube wrote to NTCA.

He further requested the NTCA to conduct a separate inquiry on the role of current KNP chief Uttam Sharma.

"His role needs to be investigated because such incidents have occurred earlier too. When Uttam Sharma was director of Panna Tiger Reserve, a radio collar tiger had gone missing, and was found dead few days later...," Dube said.

Under the translocation project, 20 cheetahs were brought to India in two batches – eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa last February – of which seven have died until this January. The adult cheetahs gave birth to 17 cubs, of which 12 survived.

IANS