Cheetahs at Kuno Park get ointment treatment to prevent deadly infection

This measure aims to prevent a recurrence of septicemia, a deadly bacterial infection that claimed the lives of three cheetahs last year

Sheopur: In an effort to protect the cheetah population at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh, a new initiative has been launched to apply foreign ointment to their fur, an official said.

This measure aims to prevent a recurrence of septicemia, a deadly bacterial infection that claimed the lives of three cheetahs last year. The cursorial predators at the Kuno National Park, brought to India as part of a translocation project from South Africa and Namibia, are receiving Anti Ecto Parasite Medicine to combat the threat of septicemia.

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The ointment, imported from South Africa, is being applied to all 13 adult cheetahs in the park to ensure their well-being during the rainy season. “We have started applying the ‘Anti Ecto Parasite Medicine’ (anti maggot) imported from South Africa to the cheetahs by immobilising them with the onset of the rainy season,” KNP director Uttam Sharma said over phone on Sunday.

Despite facing setbacks in the past year, Kuno National Park remains committed to the conservation and preservation of cheetahs in India. The loss of three cheetahs to septicemia underscored the need for proactive measures to safeguard the remaining population.

“We are going to apply this medicine to the bodies of all 13 adult cheetahs in the KNP, spread over an area of 1,235 sq km including buffer zone in Sheopur district,” he said, adding “the effect of the ointment lasts for three to four months”.

However, he did not share details of the immunisation plan duration and the date it started but confirmed that the KNP lost three cheetahs to septicemia, caused by blood poisoning due to bacterial infection, last year.

As the monsoon season progresses, efforts to protect the cheetahs from environmental risks are paramount. The collaboration between wildlife experts, park officials, and meteorologists aims to ensure the well-being of the cheetahs amidst changing weather conditions. Despite facing challenges in tranquilising the swift creatures for treatment, the dedicated team at KNP is determined to carry out the immunisation process efficiently.

The history-making reintroduction of cheetahs in India aims to revive the species, which was declared extinct in the country back in 1952. The last in the cat family had died in Koriya district of present-day Chhattisgarh, once part of MP, in 1947.

Last year’s unfortunate incident of cheetah deaths due to septicemia underscored the importance of taking proactive measures to safeguard these magnificent animals. KNP outright denied that the radio collar caused the septicemia the last time around. “It was not the cause of the outbreak. It might have aggravated it,” KNP director Sharma said.

“Last year, initially many experts doubted the radio collars caused the infection. But later the air was cleared,” he said. The fur of African cheetahs grows in June, July- August which is winter in the southern hemisphere. These months are hot, humid and rainy here in the northern hemisphere, the official said.