Forest Department Launches Inquiry Into Death of Namibian Cheetah Pavan At Kuno National Park

Following the recent death of Namibian cheetah Pavan at Kuno National Park (KNP), the Forest Department has initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the big cat’s demise.

A three-member panel of senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers has begun an inquiry into the death of Pavan. The committee, led by Pradeep Vasudev, Shri Annagiri, and Ritesh Sirothiya, will prepare a comprehensive report on the incident and assess the condition of the remaining cheetahs at the park.

The panel, established on Friday, will investigate the cause of Pavan’s death and evaluate the health of other cheetahs at KNP. Authorities discovered Pavan’s body near the edge of a swollen nullah in the park’s underbrush. They reported that Pavan, known for roaming freely, seemed to have drowned in the swollen watercourse, with no visible external injuries.

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Pavan, previously known as Oban, was a wild-born cheetah with a notable lineage. As a grandson of a cheetah rehabilitated by the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia, Pavan was a skilled hunter and had shown promise for adapting to his new environment in India. During his time at KNP, he fathered two litters of cubs—three with cheetah Aasha on January 3, 2024, and four with cheetah Jwala on January 22, 2024. All of his cubs have survived.

Project Cheetah

Wildlife activist Ajay Dube has filed a complaint with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the overseeing body for the ‘Project Cheetah,’ raising concerns about the circumstances of Pavan’s death. Dube highlighted that the radio collar system tracking Pavan had failed since August 17, making it impossible to monitor his location. He urged the NTCA to conduct an additional inquiry into KNP’s current chief, Uttam Sharma, citing previous incidents during Sharma’s tenure at Panna Tiger Reserve where a radio-collared tiger went missing and was later found dead.

The ‘Project Cheetah’ initiative, which involved the translocation of 20 cheetahs to India in two batches—eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023—has seen seven cheetahs die as of January 2024. Despite these losses, the project has also resulted in the birth of 17 cubs, with 12 surviving.

The investigation into Pavan’s death aims to provide clarity on the incident and ensure the well-being of the remaining cheetahs at Kuno National Park.