BHOPAL: In a major setback for India’s ambitious Cheetah reintroduction project, one of the 12 cheetahs airlifted from South Africa to Kuno National Park in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh succumbed to mysterious ailment on Sunday evening.
Cheetah Uday – a wild male captured close to the Matlabas River in the Waterberg region of South Africa and was estimated to be approximately 6 years old. It was wild and healthy according to the Cheetah Metapopulation Project – a non-profit, public benefit project dedicated to conserving this threatened species – that transported this cheetah to Kuno. Experts say some of these cheetahs are losing fitness, and suffering from chronic stress after months in captivity.

In the morning, a team of intrepid and dedicated wildlife experts were out on their daily mission to monitor the majestic and swift cheetahs that called Boma No 2 their home. As they made their rounds, their keen eyes were drawn to a curious sight – Uday, the male cheetah, was sitting in a state of torpor, his head bowed low in exhaustion.
Concerned for the health and wellbeing of this regal creature, the team approached him with caution, and Uday, sensing their presence, rose to his feet and began to walk with his neck bent low. Such behaviour was not in keeping with the protocol, for Uday had been deemed healthy during the previous day’s monitoring, said officials.

Alarmed by this sudden change in Uday’s condition, the team immediately contacted the wildlife doctors who were overseeing the cheetahs in another part of the Boma. The doctors arrived on the scene with alacrity and upon examining Uday, they quickly deduced that he was in need of urgent medical attention.
Without a moment’s delay, the experts decided to quarantine Uday for immediate treatment, a decision that was relayed to the Chief Conservator of Forest.
The Chief Conservator of Forests acted swiftly, giving the necessary permission to tranquilize Uday and provide him with the care that he so desperately needed. And so, around 11 am, Uday was rendered unconscious and given treatment on the spot.
Despite the best efforts of the medical team, Uday’s health continued to deteriorate, and he eventually passed away at around 4 PM. The cause of his untimely demise will only be revealed through a thorough autopsy report by the team of wildlife doctors.
“Though Uday may no longer grace this earth with his majestic presence, his memory will live on in the hearts and minds of all those who had the privilege of knowing him, and the legacy of his kind will continue to inspire awe and wonder for generations to come,” said an officer.
When contacted Vincent van der Merwe, Manager Cheetah Metapopulation – The Metapopulation Initiative told TOI that keeping free ranging cheetahs in enclosures for long do cause an adverse impact on their health. “One cannot expect wild cheetahs to flourish if you take them from wild, natural, free-ranging conditions and throw them into cages for 10 months (8 percent of their lives)”.
India’s hopes of reviving the cheetah population has suffered a setback with Uday’s death. Earlier the female cheetah Sasha, one among the eight cheetahs that were brought from Namibia to India last year died of kidney related ailment on March 27 casting a shadow on the Centre’s ambitious cheetah reintroduction project. Sasha was diagnosed with kidney ailment back in January this year. It was airlifted, along with seven other cheetahs from Namibia to Kuno on September 17, 2022.