The Supreme Court on Monday emphasized that the quantity of African cheetah deaths at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh is not insignificant, regardless of the accuracy of media accounts on this matter.
A bench comprising of Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha and Prashant Kumar Mishra pointed out that even the general public was concerned with recent developments at Kuno.
Aishwarya Bhati, the Additional Solicitor General representing the Central government, contended that the translocation initiative was unique in nature and there was presently no cause for “alarming” concerns.
Bhati submitted, “Some of the media reports are not accurate. We are mulling releasing updates on our own. But we have to embark on the project balancing ecological concerns.”
Justice Narasimha then remarked, “But the number of deaths is not low.”
The ASG then contended that amid the unfavorable media coverage, it was necessary to acknowledge the accomplishments achieved with great care & consultation.
Justice Narasimha orally responded, “All that is fine but general public is concerned about what is being done about these deaths. That is important.”
Further, the ASG elaborated that the surge in mortality figures was attributable to the fact that the data included the deaths of offspring born to one of the cheetahs.
She added that since the cubs were initially housed in a den without external oversight, they contracted infections upon exposure to the Indian environment.
Justice Narasimha asked, “All that is a consequence. We are on something else. What needs to be done now? The sum of substance of your submissions is everything is alright?”
Bhati replied, “No, my lords. But we are consulting experts and responding to new situations and taking all steps … Even 50% would work. The effort was not targeted at cubs, but for the cheetahs to be acclimatized to conditions here. The project is progressing well. We will address with data on the factually incorrect media reports.”
In September 2022, a total of 20 cheetahs were relocated to Kuno National Park in India from Namibia and South Africa as part of endeavours to rejuvenate the cheetah population within the country.
As per media reports, 8 cheetahs including 3 cubs have died since March this year.
The causes of these fatalities have been attributed to various infections and inter-animal conflicts.
The bench postponed the matter after hearing ASG and counsel for the foreign experts.
Previously, the court asked Central Government why all cheetahs have translocated from Namibia and South Africa and sent to Kuno National Park, MP.
However, the bench led by Justice Gavai lamented the numbers of death of Cheetah in a short time. The Court orally suggested that some of the animals could be shifted to Rajasthan.
