• By JE News Desk
  • Tue, 09 May 2023 05:28 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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A FEMALE Cheetah named Daksha, brought from South Africa died in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, the state Chief Conservator of Forest JS Chauhan said. According to officials, Diksha died in a "violent interaction" with the Phinda adult male coalition, which included Vayu and Agni and is also known as the White Walkers. This is the third such death that took place in the last three months so far.

"The Phinda Adult Male Coalition consisting of Vayu and Agni, also known as the White Walkers, had a violent interaction with the Phinda Adult Female, Daksha. Regrettably, Daksha lost her life in this incident" said an officer associated with the project.

ALSO READ: Two Cheetahs Die In Two Months At Kuno National Park, South Africa Says 'Mortality Rates Expected'

Uday, one of the several cheetahs that were brought to India from Africa died in Kuno National Park recently. Uday died while being treated for his illness. This was the second death in two months after the death of five-year-old Sasha who died on March 27. Sasha was one of the eight Cheetahs brought to India from Namibia, who succumbed to kidney failure.

Last month after India reported the second death of a Cheetah in Kuno National Park, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) of South Africa reacted and said deaths are within expected mortality rates for a project of this nature.

The cheetahs were relocated to Kuno National Park as part of an initiative to expand the cheetah meta-population and to reintroduce cheetahs to a former range state.

Earlier this year, the governments of South Africa and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation on the Re-introduction of Cheetah to India.

Notably, five cheetahs, comprising three females and two males, will be released from acclimatisation camps into free-ranging circumstances in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP) before the monsoon season starts in June, according to the announcement made by the Union Environment Ministry on Monday.