Two more cubs of a cheetah named Jwala died at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh, forest officials said on Thursday, 25 May. This comes two days after a female cub born to the same cheetah died on Tuesday, 23 May.
Jwala, one of the cheetahs that were translocated from Namibia to India, gave birth to four cubs in March this year. Only one of the four newly borns is currently alive.
This takes the total number of cheetah deaths in KNP to six. Over 20 big cats were brought in from Namibia and South Africa in two installments as part of India's cheetah relocation programme.
Earlier, two cheetahs named Sasha and Uday died in March and April, respectively, while the third cheetah named Daksha died on Tuesday, 9 May.
As per a press statement released on Thursday, forest officials had been closely monitoring Jwala and her three cubs after the death of the first cub on Tuesday.
After noticing that they were in a weak and dehydrated condition, the team decided to rescue them for treatment. Despite treatment, two out of the three could not be saved, the statement said.
It also added that 23 May was the hottest day in the region as daytime temperature was recorded at 46-47 degree Celsius.
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