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Bhopal: Suraj, a male cheetah, died on Friday in Madhya Pradesh national park. Seven cheetahs have died before the sun. The African cheetah Suraj was found dead in Kuno National Park on Friday morning. As per media report, the officials said that they are trying to ascertain the exact cause of Suraj’s death. Earlier on Tuesday, another male cheetah was found dead in Tejas National Park.
The autopsy revealed that the cheetah was unable to recover from painful shock following a violent fight with the female cheetah. On March 27, the female cheetah named Sasha died due to kidney disease. On 23 April Uday died due to cardio-pulmonary failure and on 9 May the female cheetah Daksha died after a violent interaction with a male during a mating attempt.
Two cheetah cubs died on 25 May due to extreme weather conditions and dehydration. Suraj’s death is another setback for the Centre’s cheetah reintroduction program launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year. Earlier, the Center had denied any lapse behind the death of six cheetahs.
In May wildlife expert Vincent van der Merwe predicted more cheetah deaths and said the reintroduction project would see even more mortality as cheetahs try to establish territories and compete with leopards and tigers in the park.
