India nearly lost another translocated cheetah over territory clash

‘Had they continued fighting any longer and if the injuries would have been deeper, we could have lost Agni overnight’

File: A cheetah lies inside a transport cage at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Otjiwarongo, Namibia (Associated Press/ Image for representational purpose)

The life of one more cheetah in India borrowed from South Africa was endangered in the Kuno national park on Tuesday after two coalitions of the wild cats clashed over territory, officials said.

The cheetah, Agni, along with another male cheetah Vaayu clashed with Namibian cheetahs Elton and Freddy over territory inside the national park’s wild area around 5.30pm which resulted in serious injuries for the former, the park’s divisional officer Prakash Verma told The Independent.

But timely intervention from the forest department and veterinarians present on the spot helped separate the four cheetahs and stop the ferocious attack on Agni.

“We sounded sirens to alert the cheetahs and prevent them from clashing. Our staff was present on the spot, with vehicles and fire extinguishers because the noise has proven to be effective. We also burst some firecrackers to divert the attention of four cheetahs from clashing,” Mr Verma said.

However, Agni sustained injuries and had to be taken to a nearby medical facility in Palpur for treating the wounds, the official said.

“The clash went on for 10-15 minutes after which we separated the two coalitions. Had they continued fighting any longer and if the injuries would have been deeper, we could have lost Agni overnight,” Mr Verma said.

The cheetah has injuries in the front, he said, without giving more details on the nature of the wounds.

“We will be treating the cheetah under observation and have also kept his companion Vaayu in the same facility to prevent any distress to the ailing wild cat and speed up his recovery,” he said, adding that the other cheetahs Elton and Freddy are keeping well and do not require any extra medical attention.

This is the first such violent territorial clash seen among the cheetahs, the official said.

Agni and Vaayu are part of the 12 cheetahs South Africa sent to India in February this year under the contentious intercontinental relocation plan under the Narendra Modi administration.

India has already lost six cheetahs, including three cubs born in March this year.

Experts have suggested that while the clashes between the wild animals cannot be avoided, Indian officials should start spreading them across other sites in the country.

“No single area in India is big enough to hold a long-term viable population of cheetahs. You need to have three to five populations of cheetahs across India and manage them as a meta population. Only then can the cheetah sustain in India. The other areas have to be established,” said YV Jhala, senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India who oversaw the cheetah introduction programme till February this year.

“Territorial clashes will happen between cheetahs. That cannot be averted. Free-ranging cheetahs will interact, fight with each other. There will be some casualties. The clash cannot be avoided, all cheetahs will like the access to females and optimal habitat. They will compete for the best areas,” he told The Independent.

Mr Jhala added that India needed to establish more population and spread these animals across the historic range of the cheetah in India including Rajasthan, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh.

At least 10 sites were identified in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in the initial stages of the project, the noted Indian biologist said.

In May, the Supreme Court of India asked the Modi government to shift the translocated cheetahs to the western state of Rajasthan following the deaths of three animals in less than two months, setting aside political differences.

India’s top court flagged the three deaths in a short span of time as a "matter of serious concern".