Cheetahs are difficult breeders, but Kuno death was avoidable: here’s why

Cheetahs are difficult breeders, but Kuno death was avoidable: here’s why

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: A South African female cheetah died of injuries apparently inflicted by two males looking to mate with her in Kuno, Madhya Pradesh, last week.

Cheetahs:

• Fastest mammal on land, the cheetah can reach speeds of 60 or perhaps even 70 miles an hour over short distances
• The gestation (pregnancy) period for the cheetah is 93 days
• Cheetahs in the wild (both male and female combined) have an average age span of 10 – 12 years.
• The average lifespan of an adult male in the wild skews lower (8 years), due in part to territorial conflicts with competing groups of males
• The cheetah is a sexually dimorphic species though it is difficult to identify cheetahs’ sex by appearance alone
• As the female siblings become sexually mature they will split from the group to lead a largely independent life.
• Male siblings remain together for the rest of their lives, forming a group known as a coalition. Coalitions increase hunting success and act as a defense against other predators.
• Females lead solitary lives unless they are accompanied by their cubs. Unlike male cheetahs that prefer to live in set territories with their coalition, females travel within “home ranges” that overlap multiple male groups’ territories
• Estrus in female cheetahs is not predictable or regular. This is one of the reasons why it is difficult to breed cheetahs in captivity.
• Mating receptivity depends on environmental factors that are triggered by the proximity of males and their scent markings

Kuno National Park

• Kuno is a National park in Madhya Pradesh, India.
• It was established, in 1981, as a wildlife sanctuary in the Sheopur and Morena districts. It was also known as Kuno-Palpur and Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary.
• In 2018, it was given the status of a National Park.
• It is part of the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
• The protected area is largely dry, deciduous forest.

Additional info:

The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. Since then, the grasslands of the country, of which the cheetah was the keystone species, have also disappeared.

African Cheetah IUCN status – Vulnerable

Asian Cheetah IUCN Status – Critically Endangered.