The latest death of the lone free-ranging cheetah in the Kuno National Park has raised questions on the impending release of the remaining felines. Namibian cat Pawan (Oban), which had been in the wild since December 2023, was found dead on Tuesday, just as the forest department was bracing to release the remaining felines into the wild after extended captivity.
Only 12 of the total 20 African cheetahs now remain — five males and seven females — all of them confined to the large fenced enclosures set within the park since July 2023. Last week, the Cheetah Project Steering Committee decided that all of them, barring the three female cats and their 12 cubs, would also be freed after the monsoon season.
But the decision had wildlife experts worried, who questioned whether the wild beasts are still fit to be freed into the wild after a year of extended captivity. In a statement, the forest department said they found the Namibian male cheetah lying near the near the edge of a nala amidst bushes without any movement at around 10.30am on Tuesday. The nala was running full due to rains.
“Veterinarians were informed and on closer inspection, it was found that the front half of the body including head was inside the water with no external injuries anywhere on the body. Primary cause of death seems to be due to drowning,” Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) and Director Lion Project issued a statement.
The exact cause of death will be known after the autopsy.
Pawan was air-lifted to India in September 2022 along with seven others as part of India’s first-ever inter-continental translocation of a carnivore. The seven-year-old Pawan (Oban) had been the first to venture nearly 200 kms away — far beyond the boundaries of the national park — and re-captured several times in the past.
It was freed in December 2023 and remained the only lone-ranging cheetah until this summer, when the forest department released another female cheetah — South African cat Veera. But the female cat was again re-captured and put back into the Boma enclosures which are anywhere ranging from 153 hectares to about 50 hectares, said the officials.
None of the cheetahs have so far died in conflict with other wild predators like leopards. This is the second adult cheetah to have died this year after Namibian male cat Freddie (Shaurya) collapsed early this year.
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