Shillong, May 19: The Supreme Court directed the Central government on Thursday to investigate the possibilities of moving the cheetahs to Rajasthan after expressing disappointment at the deaths of three cheetahs within two months of their translocation from South Africa and Namibia to Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh. In addition, it urged the centre to do so while putting politics aside.
The KNP may not be large enough to house such a large number of cheetahs, according to information from experts and sources, a bench made up of justices BR Gavai and Sanjay Karol emphasised. They recommended that the Union authorities take into account moving them to other shrines.
“Three deaths (of cheetahs) in less than two months is a matter of serious concern. There are opinions of experts and articles in the media. It appears that Kuno is not sufficient for so many cheetahs. There is too much concentration of cheetahs at one place. Why don’t you look for a suitable place in Rajasthan? Merely because Rajasthan is ruled by an opposition party does not mean you will not consider it,” the bench said.
The Centre informed the court that a task team is already looking into the deaths and debating the prospect of moving the cheetahs to other sanctuaries, represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati.
A Namibian female cheetah named Sasha passed away on March 27 from kidney disease, one of many dogs that perished in KNP. Uday, a cheetah from South Africa, passed away on April 23 from cardio-pulmonary failure, while Daksha, another female cheetah from same country, passed away on May 9 as a result of an altercation during a mating attempt.
