Bhopal, July 13: The death of translocated African male cheetah named Tejas at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP) - the seventh cheetah death in five months has again raised apprehensions on this ambitious project after its autopsy report revealed that the male cheetah was under-weight and was suffering from multiple diseases.

South African cheetah Tejas, who reportedly died of traumatic shock, weighed 43 kg at the age of five and a half years, much below the average of 55-60 kg, according to MP Forest Department officials associated with the cheetah project. The apprehensions raised over the health of Tejas are similar after the first cheetah Sasha died of a kidney ailment and then it had said that it was suffering from related problems before its translocation in March this year. Namibian Cheetah ‘Oban’ Moves Out of Kuno National Park Again, Spotted in Forest, 15 Km From Safe Zone (Watch Video).

Tejas's autopsy reports revealed that lungs, heart, spleen, and kidney were not found in normal condition and appeared compromised. "Heart was having chicken fat in the aorta and auricle. Kidney was pulpy, and no demarcation was found between the cortex and medulla. Spleen was having emphysema and white nodules. Due to this compromised health condition, probably, it could not recover from the trauma caused by external injuries,” the report said. Cheetahs From Kuno National Park Seen Moving Towards Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh; UP Forest Department Issues Alert.

The issue of Tejas being underweight has also raises more questions as to why was the cheetah in a poor health condition translocated to India and why did no one notice until the post-mortem? Tejas was the seventh cheetah which died at KNP after 20 cheetahs were translocated from South Africa and Namibia in September last year and February this year, respectively.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 13, 2023 06:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).