New Delhi: Ten-year-old Gaurav, a Namibian cheetah, died in Kuno National Park on Monday evening as he was undergoing treatment. According to the forest officials, Gaurav had an underlying chronic condition, and despite continuous treatment and care, he could not survive.
He was rescued from the wild in Kuno Palpur National Park on 12 September, when he was found to be weak and dull. Since then, he had been under the care of officials and veterinarians of the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, who upon first examination found that he had dehydration and weak muscles.
For the last 10 days, Gaurav had been kept under observation in a quarantine boma at the park, and was being provided systemic treatment. While the officials said he had an underlying condition, the post mortem report will reveal the exact cause of his death.
Gaurav was one of the first eight cheetahs brought to the country as part of the cheetah reintroduction project in 2022 from Namibia.
With his death, Kuno National Park has seen six cheetah deaths in 2026, four of which were cheetah cubs, who were found dead and partially eaten in May, barely a month after their birth. The other cheetah dead was KGP-11, an Indian-born cheetah who was found injured in the wild.
Meanwhile, there are a total of 55 cheetahs in India currently, out of which 51 are in Kuno National Park and four are in Gandhisagar National Park, both in Madhya Pradesh. One of the cheetahs in Gandhisagar is CCB-2, a female cheetah from Botswana who was released into the park on Sunday by MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
Currently, 16 cheetahs are free ranging in the wild in the country, while the rest are under observation, or in soft enclosures known as bomas.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)