In a major setback to India’s ambitious Project Cheetah, Oban aka Pawan, was found dead near a drain inside Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. Preliminary cause of death is suspected to be drowning. Officers are waiting for autopsy report.
It’s the second cheetah death in Kuno this month after a cub died on August 5. A dozen, including four cubs, have died since the first batch was translocated in Sept 2022.
Pawan had fathered two of the three litters born in Kuno and was the only one in the open. The other 24 cheetahs – half of them cubs – continue to be in enclosures as their wilding remains a distant dream.
The wandering cheetah was nicknamed ‘ghumakkad’ by its caregivers at Kuno. An official release said radio-collared Pawan was found dead near a nullah around 10.30am on Tuesday.
“The nullah was full due to recent rain, and the front half of the cheetah’s body, including its head, was submerged in water,” said an official. No external injuries were observed.
One of the six cubs born to a South African female cheetah on August 5, named Gamini, died of spinal injuries after falling from a tree. All seven cubs fathered by Pawan are alive.
Pawan was the wild-born grandson of a cheetah rehabilitated by Cheetah Conservation Fund at Erindi Private Game Reserve in Namibia.
On Dec 21, 2023, forest officials reintroduced Pawan into Nayagaon forest area within Kuno. In April, Pawan had to be tranquilised when on verge of crossing the state border and entering UP.
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