Cheetah died of kidney disease in Kuno National Park

Tags: National News

A cheetah named Sasha, brought from Namibia, died on March 27 due to kidney disease.

An Overview of the News

• Sasha was one of eight cheetahs relocated to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on 17 September.

• This female cheetah was four and a half years old.

• Sasha's creatinine level was very high, indicating poor kidney function.

• Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) - J.S. Chauhan

Important Point

• The first batch of cheetahs translocated from Namibia to India were released on 17 September at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

• The cheetahs (5 females and 3 males) were brought from Namibia in Africa as part of 'Project Cheetah'.

• It was the first time in the world that a large carnivore was translocated from one continent to another.

About Kuno National Park

• It is a protected area located in Madhya Pradesh, India, named after the Kuno River.

• It was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1981 with an initial area of 344.686 km (133.084 sq mi) in Sheopur and Morena districts.

• In 2018, the Kuno National Park was given the status of a national park and is part of the Khathyar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.

• Kuno National Park was selected as a possible site for the Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project, which aimed to establish a second lion population in India.

• Between 1998 and 2003, approximately 1,650 residents of 24 villages were resettled to sites outside the protected area to make way for the project.