The last free-ranging African cheetah, named Nirva, was discovered to be in good health

Authorities have finally located Nirva, the only free-ranging South African cheetah in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, weeks after a search was started because its radio collar stopped working. The thorough hunt for the female cat lasted 22 days. According to a press statement from the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department’s Chief Wildlife Warden, her collar stopped functioning on July 21.

The death of two male cheetahs in July from a maggot infection brought on by the radio collars concerned the hunters. Reports state that authorities have subsequently tranquilized the other cheetahs, taken off their collars, and put them back in their cages.

 

Authorities were able to locate her on Saturday thanks to a satellite. Her whereabouts was known as of the evening of August 11, according to the announcement. Teams of drones were tasked with monitoring Nirva’s whereabouts all through the night.

 

She was located about 10 am in the Dhoret range of the Kuno National Park after the search started at 4 am on Sunday. She was then given a health examination.

 

The state government reports that Nirva is in good health and has been housed in a boma (enclosure) for more medical examination. At Kuno, all 15 cheetahs—7 males, 7 females, and 1 female cub—are now housed in bomas. The vets on Kuno’s team routinely check their health factors.

 

Eight Namibian cheetahs, five female and three male, were released into cages in the Kuno National Park on September 17 of last year as part of the ambitious Cheetah Reintroduction Project. In February of this year, twelve additional cheetahs traveled from South Africa.

 

A cheetah called Jwala in Namibia gave birth to four cubs in March, but three of them passed away in May. Since then, six more adult cheetahs have also perished for unexplained circumstances, bringing the total number of cheetah deaths—including those of three cubs—to nine.