Gwalior/ Sheopur: A big jolt to Cheetah programme came into news when one of the eight cheetah died on Monday morning. The female Namibian cheetah ‘Sasha’, who reportedly died due to serious renal (kidney related) on Monday. Her ailment was first detected in the last week of January, three month after she along with seven other big cats were released at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. PM Modi released these eight Cheetah in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park months back. A top forest department official JS Chauahan said that more than four-and-a-half years old female cheetah Sasha was among the eight cheetahs translocated from Namibia and housed in the KNP in Sheopur district since September 17. The Cheetah already had history of kidney ailment and it was very tough to cure it here in a change environment.
A big question arises here that if the female feline was not medically fit and under the treatment of kidney ailment then why she was sent to India? It is also not clear that whether the Namibian authority hid the fact of Sasha’s ailment or Indian authority ignored inspite of getting the information and ailment history.
Earlier on March 8, Indian officials had expressed concerns over the adaptability skills of the Sasha, Siyaya and Savannah, before they were translocated, and sought replacements. The government in Namibia, however, refused to replace the cheetahs. Namibian forest ministry public relation officer Romeo Muyunda said that they have received the news of Sasha’s death and were looking into it. “I need to consult on this, I believe the cheetahs were tested for possible illnesses. If an illness was missed, it was not deliberate, our commitment was to donate healthy cheetahs. We believe the rest are reportedly doing very well, “ he added.
An autopsy will be conducted to reveal the exact cause of Sasha’s death, This is what happens with cheetahs that is why we say they are delicate creatures. They are prone to renal disease. Sasha was found on a farm near the east-central Namibian town of Gobabis by some farm workers in 2017 and here is its llast day at KNP on 27th March 2023.
here is press note revealing the facts
