African cheetahs make their first kill within hours of release from quarantine

The first hunt by the carnivores within 24 hours of moving to the larger enclosure has allayed the park management's concerns

The two African cheetahs made their first kill within hours of their release in a larger enclosure at Kuno National Park where they were brought in from Namibia on September 17.

The cheetahs hunted down a cheetal (spotted deer) either late Sunday or in the wee hours of Monday and the monitoring staff from the forest department got the information on Monday, Madhya Pradesh Forest official Uttam Kumar Sharma said.

The first batch of eight animals – five females and three males – was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17 in their designated quarantine enclosure or boma. They were provided with buffalo meat.

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As per protocol, the animals have been kept under observation to check if they develop diseases and adjust well to the new climate. The first pair — two males named Freddie and Alton — were released in a larger enclosure spreading over 98 hectares on Saturday after being quarantined for seven weeks.

The successful first hunt by the cheetahs within 24 hours of moving to the larger enclosure has allayed the park management's concerns about their prey-hunting ability. “The cheetahs eat their prey within two hours of hunting,” Sharma said.

The other six cheetahs named Savannah, Sasha, Obaan, Asha, Cibili and Saisa would also be released in the larger enclosure with live prey in a phased manner.

The park – originally prepared as the second site for Asiatic lions – will have 20 animals initially. Over the next five years 4-8 animals plan to be brought in every year till the park was saturated, officials said.

The current carrying capacity for Kuno (748 sq km area) is a maximum of 21 cheetahs. Once restored fully, the larger landscape can hold about 36 animals. The carrying capacity can be further enhanced by including the remaining part of the Kuno Wildlife Division (1,280 sq km) through prey restoration.

To establish a meta-population with spotted cats at Kuno and three other proposed sites - Nauradehi, Gandhisagar and Mukundara forests - India would have to import African cheetahs (2-4 animals) at a gap of every 1-4 years for the next 15 years because of the cub mortality of 30-60 per cent and adult mortality of 12-15 per cent among the animals, according to a document prepared by the ministry. India is negotiating with South Africa to bring another 20 animals.