On Thursday, the Supreme Court expressed its grave worry about the deaths of three cheetahs that were moved from South Africa and Namibia to Madhya Pradesh the previous year. The Supreme Court has ordered the Centre to “rise above politics” and think about moving them to Rajasthan.The deaths of cheetahs had happened less than two months after they were transferred to the Kuno National Park (KNP). the bench chaired by Justice BR Gavai, asked the Centre to “rise above politics” and consider relocating them to Rajasthan.The bench added in their statement, “Dont bring party politics into this issue. Consider all the available habitats, whatever is suitable for them… Three deaths [of cheetahs] in less than two months is a matter of serious concern. There are opinions of experts and articles in the media. It appears that Kuno is not sufficient for so many cheetahs. There is too much concentration of cheetahs in one place. Why dont you look for a suitable place in Rajasthan Merely because Rajasthan is ruled by an opposition party does not mean, you will not consider it.”Aishwarya Bhati, standing on behalf of the Centre, stated that the task force was informed of the fatalities. The professionals in the force were looking into every angle, including moving them to various sanctuaries.Sasha, a female cheetah from Namibia, passed away on March 27 from renal disease Uday, a cheetah from South Africa, passed away on April 23 from cardio-pulmonary failure and Daksha, another South African female cheetah, perished on May 9 after a combative encounter with a male during a mating attempt.According to Bhati, all autopsies are done and the task force is investigating the issue. Meanwhile, the court further praised the Centre for its decision of bringing the cheetahs from abroad. But also said, “They need to be protected. They need to be given suitable habitat. Why dont you explore for a more suitable habitat than Kuno” Notably, a cheetah had given birth to four cubs which showed that they were rapidly acclimatising in Kuno.A #milestone event in history of #wildlife #conservation of #India. We are delighted to share that four cubs have been born to one of the cheetahs translocated to India on 17th Sep. 22.@narendramodi@byadavbjp@CMMadhyaPradesh@KrVijayShah #Cheetah #cubs #MadhyaPradeshNews pic.twitter.com/FkqNCMdC9R— Kuno National Park (@KunoNationalPrk) March 29, 2023
