Radio collars of 6 cheetahs at KNP removed for health examination: Forest officials

Bhopal: The radio collars of six cheetahs at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh have been removed for their "health examination" by KNP veterinarians and experts from Namibia and South Africa, officials said on Monday.

Notably, five adult cheetahs and three cubs have died at KNP in Sheopur district since March this year.

"So far, the radio collars of six cheetahs have been removed by KNP veterinarians and experts from Namibia and South Africa on the ground of health examination," an official release said. Madhya Pradesh's chief wildlife warden Aseem Shrivastava said a total of 11 cheetahs (six male and five female) are currently inside the boma (enclosure) and efforts are on to bring four more to the boma for their health examination.

"We are carrying out this entire operation under the guidance of our veterinarian team and experts from Namibia and South Africa,” he told PTI.

He said the radio collars of only those cheetahs are being removed whose health examination is necessary under the guidance of the team of veterinarians.

When asked about the reason behind the removal of radio collars, Shrivastava said, “It is entirely in the domain of the team and everything is being done as per their guidance.”

Queried on the cause behind the cheetah fatalities in KNP, he said, “I have no information as I have not seen their reports. It has not yet come to me.'' (PTI)