Cheetah Sasha Did Not Show Clinical Signs Of Any Disease While In Namibia, Says CCF
The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), the international organisation that facilitated the historic translocation of Namiban Cheetahs to India last year, has said that Sasha, the big cat that died earlier this week, had no history of any health issues.
What officials in MP said
The four-and-a-half years old female cheetah died due to a kidney ailment on Monday, more than 6 months after she was translocated along with seven other big cats to Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP).
According to Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF-Wildlife) JS Chauhan, Sasha died because of a kidney ailment which she suffered even before her translocation from Namibia.
What CCF said
However, according to CCF, Sasha did not show clinical signs of any disease while she was in Namibia. Therefore, she was considered a good candidate for translocation to India and release into the wild as part of the reintroduction programme.
"While Sasha's kidney values were slightly elevated (410 ?mol/L, which is slightly above the upper limit of 376 ?mol/L), she showed no clinical signs, had no sign of infection, and her ultrasound showed no abnormalities, therefore this was attributed to her being slightly dehydrated at the time of the examination. Blood becomes more concentrated from dehydration so values become more concentrated, but these values reduce with sufficient hydration," CCF said.
Sasha met the criteria? ?
According to the conservation organization, Sasha had met all the requirements for translocation: all cheetahs were wild born, clinically healthy and in prime age (2.5 to 6 years old). The genetics of the animals were also considered as they were selecting the best candidates to be founder stock for the new population.?
"All candidates underwent thorough health examinations, which included physical examination/observation, blood draws and ultrasound. Ultrasound was used to evaluate all the organs, and no abnormalities were found, including the kidneys, which had normal size and morphology/appearance (normal shape and density and structure). The digestive tract looked good as well," CCF said.
First signs of trouble in January
"In January, Sasha started to show symptoms and her health deteriorated quickly. Blood analyses showed kidney failure (creatinine of 761 ?mol/L (8.61 mg/dL), which deteriorated to over 1000 within three days, which is a very fast progression and not consistent with chronic kidney failure," CCF added.
Despite the best efforts by the veterinary team at KNP, Sasha died on Monday.
SC seek qualification details of Cheetah experts?
The death of Sasha has also raised questions about the future of Project Cheetah, the most ambitious wildlife reintroduction undertaken in India.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court sought details of experts in the Cheetah Task Force, such as their qualifications and experience.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Vikram Nath asked the Centre to furnish details of the experts in the task force who specialise in cheetah management, their experience and qualification within two weeks.
The top court's direction came while hearing an application filed by the Centre seeking direction from the court that it is no longer necessary and mandatory for the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to continue taking the guidance and advice of the expert committee appointed by this court through an order dated January 28, 2020.
Senior Advocate Prashanto Chandra Sen, appearing for the committee, said the Cheetah Task Force has no cheetah experts on the panel.
He said that since cheetahs have been brought, the NTCA should continue to work with the expert committee constituted by the apex court, at least for the initial level.
"Cheetahs have come and we have lost one of them. There is a need to have experts, who have wide knowledge and experience in cheetah management," he said.
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