Cheetah in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno Park falls ill, undergoing treatment

A team of specialist veterinary doctors revealed that the female Cheetah had kidney-related problems and was dehydrated.

Bhopal, Jan 26: Sasha, one of the eight cheetahs flown in from Namibia last year as part of an ambitious reintroduction programme fell ill due to renal infection.

The female cheetah showed signs of fatigue and weakness during daily monitoring. She was soon tranquilised and shifted to the quarantine enclosure.

Health experts revealed that the female Cheetah had kidney-related problems and was dehydrated.

"Two days after medicines had been injected intravenously, the cheetah is showing signs of improvement," state chief wildlife warden J.S. Chauhan, was quoted saying by India Today.

However, the female Cheetah will up kept under observation for new few days and see her response to the treatment. A team of specialist veterinary doctors are keeping a close watch on Cheetah's health. It would be only after getting the test reports that actual reason of illness of cheetah could be known.

According to experts, chronic kidney disease is commonly seen in captive cheetahs as well as domestic cats.

Cheetahs may be particularly susceptible to acute renal tubular injury due to their propensity for stress and their extended life span in captivity, as well as their adaptation for fecundity (rather than longevity) and adrenaline-mediated high speed prey chases.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the occasion of his birthday on September 17, released cheetahs brought from the African country into a quarantine enclosure at the KNP in Sheopur district as part of a project to revive the population of the animal which became extinct in India in 1952.

According to the 'Action Plan for Reintroduction of Cheetah in India' prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India, around 12-14 wild cheetahs (8-10 males and 4-6 females) that are ideal for establishing a new cheetah population would be imported from South Africa, Namibia and other African countries as a founder stock for five years initially and then as required by the programme.